You Have to Forget About Me
by mykarma0
Summary: Regina told Robin to forget her. Will he do it? Will it be enough to save Marian? And what will happen next?
1. Forget (Robin)

When Robin woke up it was still dark out. He was alone in Regina's bed, where she had transported them last night from her crypt. Robin got up and gathered his clothes from where they were scattered around the floor and dressed himself before heading downstairs.

A flickering light attracted him to the living room. Regina sat on the floor in front of the lit fireplace leaning against the couch. It was where they had sat the last time he had been at her house, before Marian had come back. Before everything had gone horribly wrong. When things were simple between them, and good.

She didn't react as he walked around the couch and sat next to her. She must have been expecting him - two glasses of whisky stood on the table, one full and one half-empty. He stared at her, waiting for her to return his gaze. When she finally did, he couldn't read her expression, and that concerned him. He used to be able to tell exactly what she was thinking. He didn't know if it was because of how well he knew her, or because she simply let herself lower her guard in front of him. Either way, the fact that he couldn't read her thoughts now did not bode well.

Whatever she had been thinking, Robin knew exactly what he wanted her to think about him. He couldn't let her doubt his feelings. He had put her through enough.

Before he could say anything, Regina looked away. She leaned forward grabbed the glasses off the table, handed the full one to him. Then she raised hers toward him. Robin still couldn't read her, but he figured as long as she wasn't kicking him out, he'd let it be. As he clinked his glass with hers, he tried to think of the words he could use to convince her that he wouldn't leave her again. He didn't break eye contact as they each took a sip of whiskey. Robin swallowed, ignoring the bitter taste, and set the glass back on the table before turning back to her.

"Regina," he started. "I realize we have a lot to talk about, but I need you to know, I have no regrets about last night." At that, Regina lowered her gaze to her lap. Robin reached out and took her hand. "I love you, Regina. I know you know that. But you need to understand what you mean to me. I realize now that I can't be without you, and I'm tired of trying. There are complications, of course, but it's nothing that we can't figure out."

At some point during his speech, Regina had started shaking her head. "Your wife is more than a complication, Robin. You are married. Neither one of us can pretend that that isn't important." Regina tried to control the quiver in her voice. "And right now Marian's life is in danger, unless you can fall back in love with her."

"Regina, I can't." Robin frowned. "She is Roland's mother, and a part of my past, so she will always be important to me. But any chance of me loving her as I once did disappeared when I met you." Regina looked back up at him, eyes watery, and Robin lifted his hand to cup her cheek. "I told you once you were my second chance, Regina. But you're not my second choice."

Regina smiled at that, causing Robin's heart to soar. He finally seemed to be getting through to her. Regina placed her hand over his on her cheek. "Robin, last night was so special to me. I want you to know that." Robin smiled, but was not reassured. She sounded like she was preparing for a goodbye. "But you can't tell me you feel good about the way it happened. With you still married and Marian in a coma. This isn't the way it's supposed to be."

Robin nodded. "I know. I know, this whole thing is complicated…"

Regina cut him off again, "It's a mess. This is wrong. Robin, you're a good man. The best man I know. When you came to me last night, you said you weren't doing the noble thing. I fell in love with you for everything that you are. And you are an honorable man. You shouldn't have to abandon that to be with me. I don't want you to. I can't be the reason you give up on your honor."

Robin felt his heart breaking. This woman, who had been called the Evil Queen, who had believed herself undeserving of a happy ending, was willing to sacrifice her own happiness for him. She was fighting for the good in him, in both of them, even though he knew she had to have been in as much pain as he was when they were apart.

"Regina, nothing I have done is your fault. I chose to come to you. I choose to be with you. Even if I wanted to leave you again, I couldn't simply return to my old life. Not now that I know what it is to love you." Regina was crying now, silent tears spilling down her cheeks as she held his hand tighter.

"If you have to stop being the person I fell in love with to be with me, then this will never be right." In as steady a voice as she could manage, Regina said, "you have to do this, Robin. Forgetting me is the only way to save Marian. I've looked. Nothing else will work."

Robin pulled her closer, and pressed his forehead against hers. "I will not let you go again. I've struggled since Marian's return, and I still don't have any answers. But the one thing I know for sure is that we cannot stay apart. I've tried, but my heart keeps bringing me back to you. I know what it is to lose the person you love. As long as we're both alive, and as long as you love me, I will fight to be with you."

Regina closed her eyes. Her hand was shaking as she removed his from her face and pushed him gently away. Opening her eyes again she said, "Robin, do you remember the last time we were sitting here?"

Robin took in his surroundings. The crackling of the fire, the warmth from the fireplace and the woman at his side, and the scent of apples and cinnamon were all comfortingly familiar. He smiled at her and nodded.

Regina continued, "You said to me that maybe, it's all about timing. Well, right now," she sighed, "the timing couldn't be worse for us." Robin started to say something again, but she put her hand over his mouth to silence him. "Maybe one day, we'll find our way back to each other. We've done it once," she said, lowering her gaze to the tattoo on his forearm. "Maybe it can happen again." Regina took a deep breath and looked back up at him. "You need to do this Robin. For both of us. For all of us. Forget about me, and go back to her."

Robin brought his hand back up to her cheek. "I told you, Regina, I can't forget you."

"Maybe not on your own," she said. "But I can help you." Robin pulled back, confused. "There's a potion," Regina explained before he could ask. "It makes you forget the person you love."

Robin's eyes widened, horrified. "You want to make me a memory potion?"

Regina continued. "It won't hurt you. And you'll just forget me, nothing else."

"So what, I won't remember anything between us? I won't remember meeting you, spending time with you…" All their moments together seemed to blend together in an incoherent mess, and Robin found it impossible to focus on just one. "Will I even recognize you?"

"Not exactly. All your memories of having met me, of the time we spent together, will be gone. But if you remember, when we first met, you did recognize me. You already knew of the Evil Queen. When you see me, that's all you'll remember. You won't remember our relationship, you won't remember this conversation. And you won't have any feelings for me." Regina swallowed as she said the last sentence.

Robin's eyes turned hard. "No," he said, determined. "That's too high a price to pay."

Regina wasn't giving up so easily. That was one of the things he loved most about her - she could meet him head-on in any matter. "Robin, you have to. Neither of us can go on like this. We both need for you to save Marian. And if you can't forget me on your own, you'll have to use magic to do it."

"Regina, this is crazy! I don't care how hard it's been, I won't forget you. I don't care how bad things have gotten, I would never want to erase what he had. What he have. This is too important."

Regina's heart ached at his words. "I know, Robin. I feel the same way. But you have to trust me - this is the only way. If it's really meant to be, we will find our way back to each other." Regina grabbed his hands and held them in hers. "I want to be with you, too, more than anything. But not like this. Our past is not too high a price to pay, not for Marian's life."

Robin remained unconvinced. "No. I won't do it. You'll just have to think of another plan, because I will never take that potion."

Regina's shoulders slumped and her eyes started to water. "Oh, Robin. You already have."

Understanding dawned on him slowly. He looked from Regina to the glass of whiskey on the table. He had been too distracted when he came downstairs to notice the strange taste. Suddenly his inability to focus on specific memories of their time together made sense. He looked at her, horrified. "Regina, what have you done?"

The look of betrayal in his eyes broke her heart once more, and Regina found herself crying again. She knew she'd have to get used to the feeling once the potion took its full effect, which could be any second. "I hope one day you remember this, and know that everything I did, I did for you."

Robin was close to tears himself. He pushed his hand through her hair and pulled her closer, looking into her eyes. "Regina," he said, "I don't want to lose you."

"I don't want to lose you either. That's why I'm doing this. To save you." Regina raised one hand to rest on his cheek. He leaned into it, closing his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Robin," she whispered. "But this is for the best. I love you." Regina pulled away from him, lifted her hands and transported him back to the forest in a puff of purple smoke.

Once he was gone, she collapsed in tears, no longer needing to hold back everything she was feeling. She had truly lost him now. Despite her words to him, she knew they would never be together again. It was too much to expect an honorable man to fall in love with an Evil Queen twice, especially when he already had a wife and family whom he loved.

So she was alone, once again. But she knew she had done right. Henry would be proud. She had her son, and she had acted like a hero. And tomorrow, she would pull herself together. She would make arrangements to ensure that Robin's transition to his lack of memories went seamlessly, and that Marian was saved. But tonight she would let herself cry.

...

A/N: This is my first story. It's one that's been bouncing around in my head and needed to be told. I'd love to read your reviews!


	2. Goodbye (Regina)

**A/N: **I intended to move forward with this chapter, but apparently, that wasn't going to happen until Regina told her side of the story. So here it is.

…

Regina awoke several hours later. She turned to face Robin, still sleeping soundly next to her. She smiled at him, allowing herself to enjoy the feeling of being in his arms. She brought her hand up to rest on his heart, feeling it beat and letting the steady rhythm calm her. She allowed herself a few minutes of indulgence, but before long, thoughts of what would come next crept in. He hadn't listened. This changed nothing - he still had to forget about her. Her heart soared even as it ached, knowing how strongly he clung to his love for her. He might deny it, but she knew what had to be done.

Regina got dressed quietly and stepped out of the room. Once the door was closed behind her, she poofed herself back to her vault. Luckily, she had spent so much time there that she knew just where to look. She rummaged through the pile of spell books she had gathered. Rumpelstiltskin had made the potion with lake water and a wave of his hands, but Regina didn't have that kind of magic. She remembered seeing the recipe for such a potion, though, and located it quickly. She read the list of ingredients. Good news. She had everything she needed right in the vault. Then she read the instructions. More good news. The potion called for specific measurements, but nothing time-sensitive; it would be ready in as little time as it took to mix the ingredients.

Before long, Regina was pouring a small amount of clear liquid into a glass vial. She slipped it into her pocket, grabbed Henry's storybook from where she had left it by the trunk and poofed herself directly back into her bedroom. Robin Hood was beginning to stir. He rolled over and reached out to the empty bed next to him, frowning in his sleep when he encountered nothing. She slipped out the door and headed for the living room.

Regina poured a glass of whiskey and took a sip. She wanted more than anything to go upstairs, crawl back into bed with him and forget about the rest of the world. She would be perfectly happy with that. But she knew he wouldn't.

Robin was a better person than she had ever been. But somehow he had seen the good in her. He made her better. When Marian first came back, Regina wanted her dead, could have killed her easily. She had considered it, when Robin told her he was leaving her. But she couldn't go through with it. Robin had chosen to do the right thing, to be a good man. She couldn't fault him for that. She couldn't love him for being a good man and hate him for it simultaneously. And then Robin had come to her for help. He had trusted her, believed that she would do the right thing. She couldn't let him down. Not just with Marian, but with herself. She had to be deserving of the faith he had put in her.

So she accepted that he stayed away from her. And she stayed away from him. She stayed away even though she ached from missing him. She stayed away even knowing he still loved her. She stayed away even though he wanted to be with her as much as she wanted to be with him.

For weeks, she had searched for a way to break the freezing curse. She knew it would hurt when she figured out how to save Marian, but she had no idea how much. Because she couldn't save Marian. Only someone who loved Marian could do that.

"You have to forget about me," she had said. And from that moment, she cut herself off. She wouldn't let herself miss him anymore. She didn't dwell on memories of them together, avoided even looking at him. 'It's over,' she said to herself. 'We can never be together.' That was what she was thinking when he showed up at her vault. She knew it was him without having to look up. She composed herself, making her face and her voice cold and unreadable. After so many years as the Evil Queen, and then as the only aware person in Storybrooke, it came easy to her. But when she looked into his eyes, her face softened. She had stayed away, and she wondered why he couldn't do the same.

"Because today is not one of those days."

He grabbed her face and kissed her with a desperation she had never felt from him, and her resolve melted away. She stood up and wrapped her arms around him hesitantly. As he pulled her closer, she kissed him back with a passion that had been restrained for too long. She had missed him so much.

Next thing she knew her back was pressed against the wall of her vault. She couldn't focus on anything other than the man who was currently kissing his way down her neck. She heard her heart beating furiously in her ears. It sounded like hundreds of hearts beating all at once. Regina's mind cleared a little as she realized the sound _was_ hundreds of hearts beating in the drawers lined behind her. Realizing where they still were, Regina pulled Robin's head up to look at him. She had intended to say something to stop him, or at least to ask if he was sure. But the look in his eyes matched hers - full of longing and desire, and lacking in any hesitation. She couldn't stay away anymore. She kissed him and they disappeared in a puff of purple smoke.

Regina snapped back to reality when she heard the faint sounds of movement from upstairs. She took another sip of whiskey and poured a second glass for Robin, knowing she had a rough discussion ahead of her. She carried the glasses over to the fireplace. She chose to forego the couch, sitting instead on the floor where they had shared a bottle of wine a few weeks ago, one of their last moments together when things were good between them.

She pulled the vial from her pocket and tried to think of what words she could use to convince him that he had to leave her. She didn't want to do it. She knew he wouldn't want to either. Last night had been more than she could have expected, but she knew it for what it was: a goodbye. She and Robin had to be separated. She pressed her eyes shut and wondered how she could stay resolved once he tried to convince her there was another way. There wasn't. And she couldn't see him like this. He was so torn, trying to do the right thing. She had seen one good man destroyed because he loved her. She couldn't let it happen again, not to Robin.

Hearing Robin come down the stairs, her decision was made quickly. She poured the contents of the vial into the full glass of whiskey on the table. She would just make him drink it before he had a chance to talk her out of it. It was for the best.

…

**A/N: **So as I mentioned, this is my first story. I'm so thrilled to find that more than one person read it! (I have low expectations.)

To everyone who reviewed - thank you! Rest assured - this is not a one-shot (obviously) and I'm hardcore Outlaw Queen, so I want them together as much as any of you. And I agree, this is what should happen in the show. But the writers don't listen to me, so I wrote it myself.

To those who followed/favorited: you're my favorite people ever and I'll try not to disappoint you.

Next chapter will be the next day, I promise.

Please keep reading & reviewing!


	3. Awakening (Robin)

At some point before the sun came out, Regina had picked herself up off the floor and dragged herself back to bed. She crawled under the blankets, which still held the faint smell of forest, and drifted into a deep sleep.

In the morning, dressed impeccably as usual, Regina looked none the worse for wear. The only indication that things were not perfectly fine was her slight hesitation before leaving her bedroom. She took an extra few seconds to prepare herself, and then headed out. She had a lot to do this morning.

…

Robin Hood woke up with a headache. He tried to remember the previous night. All he could recall was having a drink with that thief Will Scarlett. Perhaps he had drunk more than he should have. His last memories were of telling Will about how he had met Marian, and of Will telling him about how much Marian had loved him.

Robin sat up suddenly, his headache subsiding quickly. (Perhaps he hadn't had too much to drink, then.)

Marian.

He had thought her dead for years. Then after arriving in this strange place, the home of Snow White and her Prince in the land without magic, Marian had come back to him. The town had defeated the Wicked Witch, but not before her time portal had been activated, saving Marian and returning her to him.

Soon after Marian's return, he had very nearly lost her again. She had been frozen by the Snow Queen. The details were unimportant (and somewhat fuzzy in his memory), but he somehow knew that she was not dead, would not die, and that she could be saved with an act of true love.

He had to go to her. He had once sworn he would walk through hell to be with her again. And now he had gotten her back. He rushed out of the tent, remembering that Little John had been watching Roland for the night. Robin told the nearest of his merry men to tell Little John that he had gone to the mayor's office.

As Robin ran, his thoughts swirled. He would kiss Marian, and his love would bring her back. Why hadn't he done so right away? He couldn't understand it. It should have been the first thing he tried. He had memories of looking for other ways to save her, but not of trying True Love's Kiss.

He ran through the town of Storybrooke, remembering how he had arrived here via Snow White's curse, to escape the Wicked Witch. But how had Snow White, as non-magical a person as there ever was, managed to enact the curse? And how had the curse been broken? For he knew it had been. He also knew that the Wicked Witch had been defeated, though he could not remember how that had happened either.

Robin pushed all those thoughts aside as he arrived at the office, feeling hopeful at the sight of Marian, frozen but alive. His heart ached for the woman before him. His wife, the mother of his son, and the love of his life. She had the purest heart he had ever known, and he was a better man for having known her.

Robin kneeled beside her, leaned forward and gently kissed his wife. A sudden warmth rushed through him, emanating from their joined lips. He pulled back, and Marian suddenly took a deep breath, opened her eyes and sat up. Robin laughed with joy, seeing Marian well again, her color restored and her eyes bright. She looked at him, confused, and asked, "Robin! What happened?"

Robin beamed. "You were frozen," he explained, taking her face in his hands. "There's a woman, the Snow Queen, she tried to kill you. But you're all right now. I saved you." He pressed his forehead to hers. "My love for you saved you."

Marian smiled at him softly. "You love me?" she asked.

Robin looked confused. "Of course I do. How could you ever doubt that?" Marian embraced him, and he pulled her up. "Where's Roland?" she asked.

Before he could answer, the door burst open and Little John walked in with Roland in tow. "Mama!" he cried, seeing Marian awake again. Marian fell to her knees and hugged her son.

Little John walked straight over to Robin and handed him a small box. "Here," he said.

Robin was confused again. That seemed to be happening a lot today. "What is this?" he asked, taking the box.

Little John looked surprised. "You left me a note to bring it here, along with Roland."

Robin was starting to feel like he lost his mind. He opened the box, and nearly dropped it when he saw what was inside. "John! Is this a heart? Whose is this?"

Now it was Little John's turn to be confused. "It's Marian's. I assumed you wanted to put it back."

"Marian's?" Robin sputtered, looking at his wife who, despite her apparent lack of a heart, seemed perfectly fine. "But she's… how can she… put it back?!"

Little John couldn't understand his friend's bewilderment, but tried to explain things as best he could. "Don't you remember? Regina took out her heart so it wouldn't freeze. Now that Marian is awake, I guess she can have it back."

Robin's eyes widened at the name Regina. Of course. The Evil Queen was known for ripping out people's hearts. He just never realized she did it while they were still alive. And now she had done it to his Marian.

The door burst open once more, and Emma walked in. She looked uncomfortable, hesitant, as her eyes swept over the room and settled on the box in Robin's hands. She headed straight for him with a determined look. "Good, you have it," she said, reaching for the box.

Robin pulled it away from her. "What do you intend to do with my wife's heart?"

Emma looked surprised, but recovered quickly, although she still didn't meet his eyes. "I was going to put it back. Unless you know how to do it?"

Robin couldn't think of any reason he shouldn't trust this woman. He knew little of her, but she was the daughter of Snow White, and the woman who brought Marian back to him. "You know how to remove people's hearts?" he asked her.

"Uh, no," Emma said, turning away from him. "But I know how to replace one. Regina sent me, she told me you would be here with the heart, and needed me to put it back."

Robin must have deemed her trustworthy, because the next thing she knew, she was holding the box containing Marian's heart. She walked over to Marian, still sitting on the floor with Roland in her lap. Marian looked up when Robin called Roland over to him. She stood up to face Emma, smiling at her. "Emma, it's so good to see you. I understand I've been through quite the ordeal."

Emma smiled uncomfortably. "Yes, well I'm afraid the ordeal isn't quite over yet. There's still the matter of this." Emma held the box up in front of her.

"What is that?" Marian seemed only mildly curious.

Emma opened the box and lifted the beating organ into her hand. "Well, it's your heart." Marian's eyes widened at the sight. "You see, when you were frozen, your heart had to be removed before the ice could reach it. To keep you alive."

Marian was shocked. "So you ripped my heart out? Like the evil queen does?"

Emma winced. "No, it wasn't like that. I mean I… She did it to… you know what? That's not important right now." Emma just wanted to get this over with. "What is important is that your heart goes back where it belongs," Emma said, opening the box. "So… may I?"

Emma gently held the heart out to Marian. Marian looked trustingly at Emma, nodding through the fear in her eyes. "Okay," Emma said. "This will hurt." She placed the heart in front of Marian's chest and quickly pushed it in.

Marian gasped, Emma released the heart and pulled her hand out. Marian straightened, and took a few breaths. Emma looked at her inquiringly. "How do you feel?"

Marian smiled. "Wonderful." She grabbed the hand that Emma still held between them. "Thank you, Emma. That's twice you've saved me from the Evil Queen."

Emma shifted uncomfortably. "Actually, the Evil Queen didn't do this to you. The Snow Queen did. And I didn't save you, Robin did. It was all him." Emma paused. "Well, you're safe now. I'll let you get back to your family," Emma said, and walked away.

As she stepped out of the room, she felt someone grab her arm. She turned and found herself facing a confused and worried-looking Little John. "John? What's wrong," she asked, concerned.

Little John glanced behind him to see Robin, holding Roland, smiling at Marian who stood in front of them. The quintessential happy family. John pulled Emma out of the room and closed the door behind him, turning to Emma. "What's going on with Robin? He didn't know anything about Marian's heart, even though he left me a note about it just this morning…"

Emma cut him off. "Actually, that note was from Regina. She called me over this morning to explain some things. Things that you should probably know, too." So Emma told John about the potion. She told him that Robin hadn't been able to save Marian because he had been conflicted, and so the potion had wiped all his memories of Regina. She told him there might be some gaps in Robin's knowledge, and asked John to fill him in where necessary. She ended by telling him that since Robin and Regina's relationship was known to others, including Marian, Robin would have to be told about it. "No details are needed, just that it happened. He'll believe you, if you're the one to tell him."

As he listened, John's face when from curiosity, to surprise, to acceptance. He had seen the struggle his best friend had been through, but he hadn't known how deep it went. John knew only something drastic would cause Robin to turn to magic, especially one that would alter his own mind. But for Marian, he would to anything.

John asked, "who else knows about this?"

"Nobody," Emma said. "Regina just wanted to make sure that Marian was revived, with her heart returned. And that Robin wouldn't be distressed."

John nodded, and reassured Emma that he would make sure to take care of them both. He slipped back into the room, closing the door behind him.

Left alone in the hallway, she let out a deep sigh. She lifted shaky hands to her face. That had been so much harder than she thought it would be. And now, she just wanted to get home. So she raised her hands and disappeared in a puff of purple smoke.

…

**A/N:** This chapter took a little longer to post because I was struggling with the latest episode. As usual, the show went in a different direction than I expected, but for once I'm happy about the result. And because of that, I almost abandoned this story. But, I think I finally figured out how to work around it, and the next chapter is almost written. The story isn't done yet…

Thanks again to all the readers, and please keep reviewing!


	4. Confiding (Regina)

**A/N:** This chapter takes place between last episode's scenes (4x08) in Mary Margaret's loft. It should be clear if you've seen it. I'm trying to stick with the show's storyline for other characters as much as possible.

* * *

><p>Mary Margaret snapped up her phone and answered it on the first ring. "Emma?!" She asked frantically. David rushed across the loft toward her, but she was already shaking her head. In a calmer voice, she asked, "What is it, Leroy?" David tried to follow the conversation, though he could only make out grumbling through the phone.<p>

"What, where?... Just now?... Well, go after her… Did you see which direction… what do you mean?" Mary Margaret's expression went instantly from eager and hopeful to confused and a little disappointed. "Oh. Okay… No, Leroy, don't worry about it... Thanks for calling."

As soon as she hung up, David asked, "What happened? Did he see Emma?"

"Uh, no," she said. "It wasn't her." David looked at her, confused. "I have to make a call."

…

Regina dropped the disguise as soon as she reappeared in her living room. She sat down on her couch, sighing deeply. It had all gone exactly as planned, although that didn't make her feel any better. Robin had woken Marian - he loved her again. Loved her still.

Regina hadn't been able to look him in the eyes. She had carefully avoided touching him when he handed her Marian's heart. But Marian had looked right at her, had smiled at her, had thanked her. If only Marian had known who was really holding her heart out to her.

Regina closed her eyes and thought back to that last image from her old office: Robin and Marian standing close, with Roland between them. It was all so perfect. It broke her heart, seeing Robin happy without her. But knowing he had everything he wanted, the second chance that she herself had always wanted, helped her stay strong.

Regina shook her head and stood up. Robin had his happy ending back, and she had to move on. There were a few more pieces of the puzzle to arrange before she could be sure her plan would go off without a hitch. She needed to talk to Emma, get her to agree to pretend that it had been her returning Marian's heart. She couldn't trust the savior to actually complete the task, or to explain how the potion worked. But it also wouldn't have been easy, or even possible, for Regina to do it as herself.

Regina went in search of her phone. Where had she put it? She tried to remember - it wasn't like her to leave it lying around. The last place she had remembered seeing it was… in her vault. Before Robin had come in. Before he had kissed her, pulled her to him, run his hands down her back…

Regina quickly closed her mind to the memories. The vault. That was where her phone was. It was just as well; her car was still there anyway. She was tired of poofing all over town, but one last transportation was needed.

Regina found her phone where she had left it and immediately noted several missed calls from Mary Margaret. What could that woman possibly want? As she looked through the list of calls, received periodically throughout the night, her phone rang again. Mary Margaret. Of course. Regina answered.

"Yes, Mary Margaret, what is so urgent?" The conversation was short. As soon as she heard that Henry was hurt (Mary Margaret's assurances of "He's fine" did nothing to calm her), she promised she'd be right over. She grabbed the locator potion Mary Margaret had requested out of a drawer and took off for the loft.

...

After seeing for herself that Henry really was alright, Regina headed downstairs and toward the kitchen, confirming that her son was just fine up in his room.

Mary Margaret waited for Regina to be done, then looked intently across the counter. "So I got a call from Leroy today. He said he saw Emma leaving the mayor's office."

Regina looked away. "Oh?"

"Uh-huh. But before he could get to her, she transported away. Which I found interesting, because as far as I know, you never taught her that bit of magic."

Regina busied herself with a speck of dust on the counter between them. "Well, her powers have been growing." Regina allowed a hint of hostility into her tone. "Maybe she finally learned something herself."

Mary Margaret leaned forward. "And did so in a puff of purple smoke? Come on, Regina, we both know that was you." She waited for Regina to meet her eyes. "Why were you impersonating Emma?"

"It was nothing bad," Regina said. "I just had to be somewhere without being there." The younger woman said nothing, but continued to look at Regina, patiently waiting for further explanation. Regina finally added, looking away again, "In other news, Marian is awake."

Mary Margaret pulled back, startled. "You figured out how to save her? Regina, that's wonderful. But what does that have to do with pretending to be Emma?"

Regina looked severely at her. "First of all, I didn't save her. I didn't have anything to do with it. That is why I was disguised as Emma. Just so you know, that's the official story. Emma was there, and Emma replaced Marian's heart." Regina stood straighter, crossing her arms in front of her. "Right after Robin woke Marian. Elsa was right, an act of true love was all it took."

Mary Margaret was confused. "But he tried that already, it didn't work."

"Well this time it did," Regina said impatiently. She pressed her hands to the counter.

Mary Margaret reached out and placed one hand on top or Regina's. "Regina, what aren't you telling me?" Her soft voice was beginning to get through to Regina. As unpleasant as this was, Regina knew that it would have to be explained. She might as well start with the person least likely to assume she had evil intentions.

Regina sat on the stool facing her ex-mortal enemy and brought her hands into her lap. "You know I've been looking for a way to save Marian." Mary Margaret nodded. "Well, there wasn't one. The Snow Queen wouldn't unfreeze her and I couldn't find a magical remedy. The only thing that might work was True Love's Kiss." Mary Margaret looked confused again, but Regina gave her credit for not interrupting. This was going to be hard enough as it was. "It didn't work last time because… Robin Hood was conflicted. He was with me when Marian returned, so his feelings had changed. I told him that in order to save Marian, he had to forget about me and focus on her." Here, Regina paused to see how her story was being received.

Mary Margaret looked at her without judgement, just like always. "So that's it? Robin just decided to love Marian?"

Regina looked down at her hands. "Not exactly. As I said, he had to forget about me. So I helped him a bit with that." Regina looked up again. "Magically." Mary Margaret tilted her head questioningly. "I gave him a potion. You know the one, you took it once when you wanted to forget your Charming prince."

Mary Margaret's eyes grew wide, and the patience and understanding were suddenly gone. "You did what?! Regina, tell me he didn't take it."

Regina grew defensive again. "Of course he took it. He had to save his wife."

Mary Margaret walked around the counter. "Regina, I know that potion better than anyone. There are side effects, bad ones. I didn't just lose memories when I took it, I lost a part of myself."

Regina scoffed. "You really think that just because you took the potion you understand it better than I do? You know nothing about how magic works."

"I know that potion is dangerous. Did you tell Robin what could happen before he took it?"

Regina sat up straighter. She had read Henry's storybook cover to cover, multiple times. She usually didn't dwell on Snow White's love story, not even the part where Snow White tried to kill her. But this morning, it had been just what she was looking for. She had read the story carefully, skimming over the declarations of love and focusing on the details of the potion. She needed to know exactly how it would affect Robin.

"It wouldn't have mattered, Robin needed to take that potion, for Marian's sake. And anyway, I knew what could happen. I know what will happen. Robin is not the same person you are, and his," Regina paused briefly, "feelings for me are not the same as yours were for David."

Mary Margaret stared at Regina. "What does that have to do with it?"

Regina shook her head. "You really do have no understanding of magic." She sighed. "The part of you that was lost when you took the potion was the same part of you that fell in love with David. That's how it works. You couldn't forget him without losing that part of yourself." Mary Margaret nodded. "You and David… you share one heart. I should know, I split it for you." They shared a quick smile. "It was all the good parts of you that fell in love with him - your compassion, your belief in the kindness of strangers, your relentless hope for the future… When you lost that, all you were left with was anger and vengeance."

"Yes, that's exactly…" Mary Margaret started talking again, but Regina cut her off.

"Robin is different. As I said, he was conflicted. He was torn between me and Marian. The part of him that drew him to Marian was the noble, honorable part of him. It was the part that believed in goodness, in honesty, and in always doing what's right." By now it was a struggle for Regina to keep her breath steady. "All of that is still left now that he's taken the potion. He won't turn into a monster because he forgot me. If anything, he'll probably be better off." At that, she got off the stool and walked away. Mary Margaret had started to look at her with sympathy bordering on pity, and that was something she refused to accept.

Mary Margaret walked after her. "Regina - "

"Regina!" David entered the room, breaking the moment between the two women.

Regina looked at him, surprised. She had thought he was out looking for Emma. After leaving more than a dozen distressed voice mails about their daughter being missing, shouldn't they be doing something about it? Regina voiced her concerns, and soon they were all out the door in search of the savior.

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><p><strong>AN:** Thanks again to all the readers! Every time I see a new review/follow/favorite, I think, "You like me! You really like me!" And it keeps me motivated.

To the Guest from Nov. 15: Thanks for the long review! Your take is interesting, and I agree with a lot of what you said. I believe Robin falling back in love with Marian might take time, but would be easier to achieve without Regina in the picture. Unfortunately, I have so much else to focus on in this story that I didn't want to get into it. But the story's not over yet, and I think you'll like what's still to come.

To everyone: I love your feedback. It keeps me going. I love writing this story, and I'm always glad to hear how it's being received.


	5. Reflect (Marian)

**A/N:** First, y'all should know that I love Regina. Seriously. She is my favorite character, and I just want so much for her to be happy. I know most fans feel the same way. And because of that, we all end up hating on Marian. But the truth is, Marian did nothing wrong, and I feel badly about everything she's gone through.

Don't get me wrong, I still want her to disappear, but only because she's in the way of Regina being happy. So if you're reading this hoping Marian will die a horribly painful death or be wiped from existence, you should stop reading. She's a good person in a bad situation. So I'm trying to humanize her. Please, guys. Let's give her a chance.

...

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><p>Marian smiled as she watched Robin chasing Roland around the campfire. She couldn't believe how lucky she was. Just a few days ago (well, it had been much more than a few days, although it certainly didn't feel like it to her), she had been sure she'd never see her family again. Even after she was rescued, when she was brought through a portal to a new land and a new time, she believed her family was lost to her. But miraculously, she found them again. Her son, a few years older, but just as beautiful as he had always been. And her husband. Her beloved Robin.<p>

Marian's smile faltered a bit as she recalled their reunion. Robin had explained that for the rest of them, it had been decades. He asked her to meet the Evil Queen. He and Emma (Emma, she reminded herself, not Leia) both insisted that things had changed, and that the Evil Queen was neither a queen nor evil anymore. She trusted Robin, so she had tried to give it a chance. But the way he was acting - as though the two of them were close. As though he had feelings for the queen, was in a relationship with her. She didn't begrudge his attempting to move on, but to do so with the Evil Queen was beyond her understanding. That woman had captured Marian, imprisoned her and sentenced her to death. And now, she had begun to grow close to Robin, wormed her way into his and Roland's hearts. If Marian had come back any later, she might have found that the queen had married her Robin, and become a mother to their son.

Marian shivered at the thought. The Evil Queen had very nearly destroyed her life in every possible way. Robin didn't like Marian using that term, claiming that 'Regina' had changed and deserved forgiveness. Some things, however, were unforgivable. Everyone in town seemed to believe the queen was now good, as though her caring about her son wiped away the countless innocent lives she destroyed. It was unsettling, seeing them treat her as one of them. They even called her by her name. Although Marian didn't mind that part. It actually humanized the queen, made her seem a less-imposing foe.

Marian would not allow Regina to cause any more damage her life. Her marriage was already in trouble. The intimacy she had with Robin was gone, although he assured her that it would naturally take time to rebuild their relationship after her 30-year absence. It still hurt, though, that he didn't look at her as he once had. Almost as much as hearing Roland speak fondly of Regina, who had seemingly become a part of their life. Marian had felt like an outsider, an imposter in her own family.

Until she had been frozen.

Marian would not have sought out a near-death experience, especially having so recently escaped the last one, but it seemed to have done Robin a world of good. He must have been worried about her while she was frozen, and remembered how much they loved one another. Since she awoke, he had doted on her. He looked at her as if she was his world, as he had before she had ever been captured by Regina. The uncertainty in his face when he looked at her, and his hesitation at even the most innocent touch were gone. Whatever else resulted from this Snow Queen, Marian was at least grateful for this second chance.

Little John sat down heavily beside Marian near the fire. He smiled at her and said, "it's good to have you back. Again!"

Marian laughed, and accepted the steaming mug he handed her. "It's good to be back. Again. Although it's still strange to think of you all having passed so much time without me."

Little John nodded. "You missed a good number of adventures. Things were mostly unchanging during the cursed years. But the year after the curse broke was certainly eventful. And then we came here, to this land."

"There was also some time before the curse was cast. Robin said Roland was four years old for decades, so you must have lived a couple of years curse-free after I left." Marian was eager to hear about a time closer to what she remembered.

John pressed his lips together and nodded. "Aye."

Marian turned to him. John was always chatty. One-word responses from him were almost unheard of. He was trying not to say something, but she was sure it was something she should know. Besides, she wanted to learn as much as possible about the time she had missed.

"What were those years like, John?" she asked in a gentle voice.

John sighed, looking at his hands for a moment before turning to face her. "They were hard years, Marian. Robin was devastated when he lost you. He blamed himself."

Marian shook her head, confused. "It wasn't his fault. The Evil Queen - "

John cut her off, smiling slightly. "We didn't know what happened to you. We thought - well, I should let Robin tell you the whole story. But let's just say he couldn't forgive himself for a long time." John turned back to the fire. "Also, you should probably avoid calling her the Evil Queen. That's not who Regina is anymore."

Marian turned to the fire as well, so John wouldn't see her eyes grow cold. "You too, Little John?"

"You don't understand. When you died - when we thought you died - Robin was a wreck. He was short-tempered, angry, destructive. He could barely control his temper, even around Roland! He got into fights, went on reckless missions…"

Marian said with a tone of disbelief, "that sounds nothing like him. Even as the thief I first met, he would never yell at his men, and certainly not at Roland."

John shook his head. "You wouldn't have recognized him." He looked at Marian then. "He loved you. Then he lost you. And it changed him." Marian said nothing, and he continued. "It took a long time, but Robin started reclaiming his life. He was able to smile again, first when he was with Roland, and then later when he wasn't. His angry words gave way to kind ones. The missions he chose grew more guarded, and his plans favored survival and necessity over adventure and danger. I guess he… grew up."

"But he didn't really change," Marian said. "He was always that way with me: Patient, kind, clever. He didn't become a new person, just healed. He returned to being the man he always was, once he… got over my death."

John smiled at her, though he remained unconvinced. The changes in Robin may have been subtle, but they were there. During the nearly three decades they had been cursed, John had plenty of time to observe his friend. The way he prioritized his role as a father was paramount, but there were other things.

"He is the same man, of course. But he's more patient, more thoughtful. He's not the moral-spouting adventure-seeking rebel you once knew."

Marian smiled and returned to watching the man in question. "I can live with that."

Roland noticed his mother watching and ran over to her. Marian put her cup down on the ground and pulled him into her lap. "Mama, I slayed the dragon!"

"You did?" Marian laughed. "How?" With her encouragement, Roland began the tale of how he, a brave knight, took on the most fearsome dragon (Robin) that had ever lived.

John left her and went sit at the other side of the campfire, where Robin had seated himself, exhausted from running after a tireless five-year-old.

"Little John!" Robin said. "Come to console an old dragon on his defeat?"

John let out a gentle laugh. "Defeat aside, it has been a good day." He needed to disclose what Emma had told him. The boy provided the perfect distraction. Knowing Roland, his story would be elaborate enough to keep Marian's attention for a while.

Robin nodded, turning to look at his wife and son. "I'm a lucky man, John. Not many who lost what I did get a second chance."

John's face grew sour. It was disconcerting, hearing his friend unknowingly repeat almost the exact words he had used a few weeks ago. At the time, Robin had been talking about his relationship with Regina.

John had been hesitant at the time, still knowing her mostly as the Evil Queen. But she and Robin had developed an understanding, and trusted one another. They had all had Robin's back when he protected Regina's heart, and she had been genuinely concerned for them all, especially Roland, when the Dark One came looking for it. She was working with the town's leaders, fighting to protect them all. Robin had told each of his men when they joined him, _your past ends now_. Robin believed their future was up to them, and they had all risen to the occasion.

As John saw Regina more frequently, his reluctance gave way to acceptance. He didn't go so far as to encourage the relationship, but he did support it. Robin hadn't shown romantic interest in anyone since Marian. Regina made Robin happy; and she was wonderful with Roland. By the time the witch was defeated, John had seen it as a done deal. Robin told John he was falling in love, and John found he didn't mind at all. Robin had always been a good judge of character, and it was great seeing him so happy. John told Robin that Regina seemed a perfect match for him. Robin had smiled and said that was exactly what she was. John sensed that there was a story there, but didn't ask. He was just happy his friend had found happiness again, with someone who seemed to care for him just as deeply. For as long as John had known her, Regina had fought on the side of good and had been a happy addition to Robin's life.

Then Marian came back. The merry men who were not as intimately acquainted with their leader assumed all would go back to how it was - Marian would return to the camp and Regina would simply fade away. Only John knew it wasn't that simple. Robin had moved on. He and Regina cared about one another. There was love there.

But Robin had stayed with Marian. John had been surprised, although he supposed he shouldn't have been. Whatever else Robin was, he was always honorable. He stood by what was right. But he also always stood by his heart. Robin's heart and his honor had never been on different pages before. How many times had he told the story of how he met Marian? She was his heart, and his honor.

John had tried to talk to Robin about Regina once after Marian's return, but Robin had refused. He just said something about vows, and Marian being his wife. John's queries of, "what about Regina?" were met mostly with stony silence.

John tried again after Marian was frozen. He was actually worried about Regina. They had not quite been friends, but he respected her, had even grown fond of her. He hadn't seen her at all since Marian's return, but had heard she locked herself away. John had seen in her eyes that she loved Robin, and knew she must be hurting. He thought Robin was being unfair, asking her to help save Marian. But when John mentioned Regina, Robin's stony silence remained, usually accompanied by him storming off angrily.

John knew Robin was hurting, too. He suspected that his friend's explanation of why True Love's Kiss hadn't worked was less than truthful. Marian being awake now was proof, and his conversation that morning with Emma confirmed it. Robin was able to wake Marian with a kiss, but only after having forgotten Regina.

Conflicted. That was the word Regina had used, and Emma had repeated. Robin had accepted the loss of his wife years ago, but it had left an empty spot in his life, and in his heart. That spot had been filled (more than filled) by Regina. Now, there were two women fighting for the same spot in Robin's heart. The potion had wiped Regina from Robin's mind, freeing the hole in his heart to be filled with his love for Marian once she returned. Suddenly, everything was simple.

Except for one thing: the truth, and Robin needed to hear it.

John turned to face the man next to him. "Robin, there's something you need to know."

…

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><p><strong>AN:** Sorry to cut it off like this! I know it's been a few days since I updated. I've been struggling with this conversation. That may be evident in the rambling leading up to it - aka this entire chapter. But I wanted to post something while I figure out what comes next. Chapter 6 _will_ be Robin learning about the potion, and should be out in a day or two.

To my reviewers: Thank you for every word! I love reading all the feedback. I am trying to keep them all in character, especially Regina (have I mentioned she's my favorite?). So I'm doing my best to do right by them.


	6. Revelations (John)

"Come with me," John said. He stood up and walked away from the campfire. Robin, noting the seriousness in his best friend's voice, followed him into the forest.

John had been trying for hours to choose the best way to relate all that had happened. He had two things he needed to tell Robin. The first was that Robin had lost some of his memories by drinking a magic potion. That would be easy enough; Robin could surely tell that there were gaps in his memory. It would be harder to convince Robin of the second matter, that the memories he lost concerned his relationship with a woman he only knew as the Evil Queen, and that he had needed to take the potion because his love for her prevented him from saving Marian.

First things first.

John continued facing forward as Robin fell into step beside him. "I want you to think about our time in this world," he said. "We've been here a few months now. We fought the Wicked Witch, and defeated her. Marian returned, and has been frozen for the past few weeks. Do you remember all of this?"

Robin thought back. Months? The time had certainly passed quickly. He supposed that was because they were preoccupied with the witch. Robin ran his hand through his hair. He tried to focus on the details, though they were fuzzy in his memory. "I remember arriving here with no memories of the past year. I remember the curse breaking, although I don't know how. I remember that we defeated the witch, although I don't know how. And I remember Marian being frozen. But she couldn't have been frozen that long, it seems only a few days since she collapsed." Robin stopped walking and grabbed Little John's arm. "John, what's going on? Did something happen to me?"

John turned and faced his friend. "It's alright, Robin. You're not going mad or anything. You've just lost some of your memories." Robin looked only mildly comforted. John continued walking and Robin followed his lead. "You took a potion to forget… certain selected memories of the past year."

Robin frowned. "Why would I do that?"

"Well, it was necessary. To save Marian, you had to forget…" _Not yet_, Little John thought. "...some of the things that happened since we met Snow White and the Storybrooke lot."

John waited for his friend to absorb that news. They walked quietly for a few minutes, Robin digesting this new information and John hoped his silence meant acceptance.

"So, I wasn't force to take this potion? I took it voluntarily?" Robin glanced at John. "You know how I feel about magic."

"Aye," John said, but was saved from further explanation as Robin continued to rationalize his own actions.

"Although, of course, for Marian I would do anything." Another minute passed before he continued. "Still, it seems strange. Marian was saved by True Love's Kiss. Why would I need a memory potion for that?"

John sighed. This was going to be the hard part. They had arrived at a small clearing, and John took a seat on a fallen log, waiting for Robin to sit beside him.

"Robin, you're going to find this hard to believe, but you know I would never lie to you." John waited until Robin nodded. "When Marian was frozen, they said the ice was acting as a barrier. That this curse couldn't be broken with True Love's Kiss."

Robin shook his head. "But that's wrong, the curse was broken. And I would have tried, at least."

John sighed. "You did try, Robin. You kissed her, as soon as she was cursed, but it didn't work."

"What? Why would True Love's Kiss work now but not have worked then?"

John turned to face Robin. "If it didn't work then, it could only because it wasn't True Love's Kiss."

Robin stared at John as the meaning of what he said dawned on him. "Are you saying I didn't love Marian? John, she is my wife! You know what she was to me, what I went through when I lost her!"

"I know, Robin," John reassured her.

"And then to have her back - it's the greatest blessing I could ever have hoped for!"

"I _know_, Robin."

"So how could my kiss not have been one of true love?"

John looked at him sadly. "Because you were in love with another."

Robin stood up suddenly and looked angrily at John. "How can you say such a thing?! Marian is the only woman I love, the only woman I've ever loved! Who could ever replace her?" Robin began walking back and forth across the clearing.

John continued patiently. "Your memory gaps probably start shortly after we arrived in this world, right?" Robin stopped pacing, crossed his arms and looked at John, nodding reluctantly. "You met a woman." Robin's eyes widened. "You were intrigued by her, and you two grew closer. You began to care for her, quite a bit actually."

Robin narrowed his eyes. "I am a married man, John, I would never - "

"Robin, she was dead. Marian was gone, you remember her being gone, don't you? For years." Robin relaxed and let John continue. "As I was saying, you cared for her. But when Marian came back, you stopped seeing her." Robin didn't react to this. Apparently he didn't see anything remarkable in this part of the tale. "You stopped seeing her, but you still had feelings for her. So when Marian was cursed, your heart was torn, and your kiss didn't work."

"That's why I was looking for other ways to save her," Robin said. John nodded. Robin dropped his hands and resumed his pacing. He wasn't saying anything, so John decided to continue.

"To save Marian, your heart needed to be focused only on her. So you took the potion to erase your memories, and your feelings. Apparently, it worked."

Robin walked back over to the log and sat down. John waited. There was one more detail that had been left out. He waited for Robin to ask, and finally he did. "Who was this _other woman_?"

John waited for Robin to meet his eyes. "It was Regina."

Robin looked at his friend in utter shock. "The Evil Queen?!" Before John could respond, Robin started laughing. A loud, hearty laugh that seemed so genuine it shocked John into silence.

"John. Really?" Robin said. "This is rather an elaborate prank, even for you. You're saying I was _in love_ with the Evil Queen, so in love that I couldn't even save my wife? Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?" Robin waited for his friend to confess everything and laugh along with him. John never could keep a straight face for long. But as John continued to look straight at him, Robin's smile faltered.

Robin couldn't believe what he had heard. He kept his voice low, but it was still frightening. "John, this is nonsense. How could I ever love the Evil Queen?"

John shook his head. He still considered Marian family, but since Robin had become involved with Regina, she wasn't the Evil Queen in his eyes anymore. John saw the way she was with Roland, and how happy Robin had been with her. Robin had no memory of his struggles, but John knew it all. It was John who had watched Roland during the nights Robin spent sleeplessly wandering through the forest. It was John who Robin trusted not to judge him when he confessed that he still had feelings for Regina. And it was John who knew that Regina was both the reason Robin's first attempt to wake Marian had not been successful, and the reason his second attempt had been. Robin had forgotten all that. So John reminded him.

"She isn't the Evil Queen anymore, Robin. She hasn't been in a long time. Now she's just Regina. She's the woman you've been seeing almost since we came to this place." Robin was shaking his head. "Marian was gone, Robin. She had been gone for years. And Regina was good for you. She made you happy, you and Roland. He loved her. And so did you."

"John, no! Nobody can change that much. She is evil!"

"She's not," John said, his voice becoming insistent. "She's good. I know you can't remember, but she was the one who defeated the Wicked Witch. She saved the whole town. And she was working harder than anyone to save Marian. You trusted her to save Marian when nobody else could." Robin was looking at John in complete disbelief. "She removed Marian's heart to protect it from the curse. She spent days, weeks even, searching for a cure. I understand you no longer have feelings for her, but she still deserves your gratitude."

Robin looked wordlessly forward for a long time.

John searched his friends face. "You're not saying anything. Did you hear everything I said? Do you understand? Do you believe me?"

Robin nodded slowly, his eyes wide. "I need to take a walk. Alone." He stood and walked off into the forest.

…

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><p><strong>AN:** Okay! So, now Robin knows everything. What will happen next? Dun dun duuuuunnn!

Also, the chapters now have titles, along with the primary POV. This should help keep the story straight, as I have several more chapters planned.


	7. Wandering (Robin)

Robin walked through the forest without knowing where he was headed. He tried to wrap his head around everything John had told him. It was impossible to believe, or would have been had it come from anyone else. For a moment, he thought it was all a joke. Or perhaps it was a mistake; perhaps John had been the one who fell victim to a magical spell that removed memories. But Robin was never one to suspend reality for long, and John's story made a frightening amount of sense. The potion explained Robin's memory gaps. It explained the delay between Marian being cursed and waking up. But the reason for him taking the memory potion was disturbing.

How could he have fallen in love with the Evil Queen? Even without knowing she had killed Marian. It took Robin a long time after losing Marian to believe he would ever love again. But he always assumed if it happened, it would be with someone like Marian. Someone good, and honorable. Someone who inspired him to live honestly, as Marian had. He would never be involved with someone with a past like the queen's. What kind of person must she be to have done the things she did?

Robin picked up his speed, marching to keep himself warm and to let out some of his anger. "She's good," John had said. The Evil Queen is good. Robin almost laughed at the absurdity - the contradiction did not require interpretation.

And yet, John had looked so earnest. He claimed the Queen deserved his gratitude. John, his best friend, his brother and confidant. If John said it, it must be true

And Emma had said it, too, that the Queen had helped. Emma, the daughter of Snow White and her Prince Charming. The embodiment of everything that was good, and she had rescued Marian, brought his wife back to him. So she, too, must be trusted.

But Robin did not give his trust easily. He trusted his men. He trusted Snow White, who had been a bandit in the woods near where he had begun as a thief. He trusted her daughter, despite her being a sheriff. But he could not trust the Evil Queen. If all that he had heard was true, then she was accepted now as part of the town, so he would avoid open hostility. But he would never, could never, forgive her for all she had done.

Robin let out a relieved sigh as he came to this conclusion, feeling the load on his mind lighten a bit. Fortuitous timing, as he seemed to have arrived at an unintended location: Granny's.

This was the first place he recalled entering upon his arrival in Storybrooke, the place he had first seen the Wicked Witch (she had spoken menacingly, about what, he could not recall). It was also the place he would come often with Roland, and, most importantly, the place where he was reunited with Marian. She had appeared so suddenly, and he had embraced her, and she had embraced Roland, and his family was back together.

Robin entered and immediately noticed Will Scarlett, pouring generously from a flash into his coffee. Robin slipped into the booth across from him and pulled the cup toward him, ignoring the other man's words of protest.

"I need to ask you something strange," Robin said, keeping his eyes trained on Will, even as Will's gaze followed the path of the waitress passing by them.

When Will turned back to face Robin, he said, "Go on, then."

"Tell me everything you remember about our conversation."

Will raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't so drunk I don't remember a conversation from yesterday. So you can just give that back, now." Will reached for his cup, but Robin brought an arm around to block his access.

Robin's eyes hadn't moved. "Your memory is not in question here. Mine is. I remember the conversation, but it all seems a blur. I want to make sure I haven't forgotten anything I shouldn't have."

Will regarded him suspiciously for a moment. "You didn't seem that far gone yesterday." But then he shrugged and said, "well, I'd be happy to oblige. But as long as _my _sobriety is not in contention, may I have my lunch and dinner back?" Robin hesitantly pushed the cup back towards will, who took a long sip. Will smiled. "Well, as I recall, we talked about women, about love, and about Marian. You told me the story of how you met her, again."

Robin smiled. "I stole her father's horse."

Will groaned, "please, not again." Robin's smile dropped.

Robin said, "You told me something about Marian, about how she believed in me." Will nodded. "But you said something else, about fighting for true love. And how it's always worth it, even if it ruins your life."

Will looked up, thinking back. "I don't think those were my exact words."

Robin didn't seem to hear. "You realize what horrible advice that is, don't you? Loving someone shouldn't ruin your life. If it does, how can it be right? And you, you didn't only ruin your own life, you risked ruining other people's lives as well. Mine, and my men's."

Will straightened and put a hand out. "Hey now, I apologized for that. And after all, nobody was hurt."

Robin leaned forward. "You apologized. So now I suppose it's like it never happened? We could have all been killed. All because you thought your _love_ was more important than the lives of a group of men who believed in you, who took you in!"

Robin's voice was getting louder, and Will raised his to match. "Hey now, your men were willing to break into that castle for the promise of gold! And it all turned out fine. And I said I wanted to make amends." Will now had both his hands up, trying to calm Robin down.

Robin got out of the booth and pulled Will up by the lapels of his jacket. "You had no disregard for the well-being of anyone around you." Robin lowered his voice to a whisper, his cold eyes only inches from Will's face. "All our lives were worth nothing to you. So tell me, why should I value yours?"

Robin could see the fear in Will's eyes. The coward. He had been a coward years ago, stealing what he needed with the protection of men he left to be punished in his stead, then sneaking away before he could be found out. Robin had let him go at the time.

Will made a joke, apparently trying to ease the tension. Robin couldn't register the exact words, but it didn't matter. What was funny about putting his men's life in danger? So now Will was a fool, as well as a coward. He should have stayed away. Robin felt his anger grow at this man's selfishness, his cruelty. He saw red, and suddenly everything went silent. The next thing he knew, the knave was on the floor, holding his jaw where Robin had punched him.

Robin reached down with his left hand and grabbed Will's coat, punching him again. Then Will's hands were up, whether to block Robin's punches or to try for a few of his own, he didn't know. But he kept swinging going after Will, barely aware of tables and chairs crashing around him, and possibly a person or two moving out of their way. He kept punching Will, again and again, until he felt himself suddenly pulled away at the same time as two arms wrapped around Will from behind and dragged him back. Robin struggled only for a moment, before he could suddenly hear again, as if the noise had been turned back on. Men were yelling, strange men, holding him and Will apart from each other. There wasn't a single chair or table still upright in Granny's several of them broken. Whoever had Will was dragging him out the front door, while Granny yelled at the two men holding Robin to bring him out back. Robin let them, pushing their arms off him as soon as he was outside. Then he shoved his hands into his pockets, only now noticing the pain in his right hand, and walked off.

…

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I suck. I owe you all an apology: it's been too long since I updated. And now I left you with a short chapter. But another one will be along shortly, and I'll do my best to post more often, I promise! And there might be some Regina/Robin interaction in the next chapter or two...

Also, your reviews make me so happy! Please keep them up!


	8. Aftermath (Regina, Robin)

"She can't have gone far," Mary Margaret said as she continued along Emma's trail on foot, Regina by her side.

Mary Margaret didn't wait long before attempting to resume their earlier conversation. Regina cut her off. "There's nothing left to tell." Regina didn't bother trying to hide the defeat in her voice as she pointed out that things not working out for her was to be expected.

Mary Margaret disagreed, pointing to herself and David as an example. She had thought they were over many times, but they had always found their way back to one another. Regina tried not to roll her eyes as Mary Margaret spewed on and on about hope. She had gotten used to the increasingly tolerable presence of her former nemesis in her life. It was almost encouraging to hear that she saw Regina making good choices, and believed that those choices would one day lead her to happiness. At least there was one person who believed that.

Regina was relieved when her phone rang, cutting the conversation short.

"Hello?" she answered.

"REGINA!" Little John yelled. Regina held the phone away from her ear.

"John, talking voice!" Regina yelled back at him, before bringing it back to her ear. John still hadn't completely grasped the concept of a phone. Regina had given him one, when he asked. She tried to teach Robin to use it, but he wasn't interested. John, however, was fascinated and eagerly followed Regina's simplified instructions. Privately, Regina believe John was really just intrigued by something so valuable also being so easy to steal.

John's voice came back, barely over a whisper, "Sorry, sorry. Can you hear me?"

"Yes, John, What is it?"

A few moments passed before John spoke again. "I… I'm sorry to be calling you. I tried to call Emma, but she wasn't answering. It's about Robin, and the potion she told me about."

Regina froze. She didn't relish talking about either Robin or the potion, but she realized how lucky she was. Had John managed to get through to Emma, the blonde would have had no idea what he was talking about. She really needed to speak to Emma asap to cover her tracks.

Regina said, "Of course. Is there something you need to know?"

John hesitated again. "Actually, I need your help at Granny's. Right away."

"Right now?" Regina asked, looking around. She started making excuses, secretly relieved at not having to deal with this right away. But as usual, Mary Margaret interfered at the worst possible time, telling her to go. Regina sighed, and told John she would meet him in front of the diner.

…

By the time Regina got there, John was waiting, nervously walking back and forth. When he saw her, he walked out to meet her. Before Regina could ask he said, "Granny called me. There was an incident. You better come inside."

Following John into the diner, Regina couldn't hide the surprise on her face. It looked like a tornado had blown through. A couple of Storybrooke folk were righting chairs and tables while Ruby swept up broken plates and splattered food.

Without addressing her question to anyone in particular, Regina asked, "what happened here?"

John walked around to face her before saying, "It was Robin."

Regina couldn't help taking a step back. "Robin?" she whispered, before regaining her composure. "I don't understand."

John shook his head. "Neither do I. Granny called me, she said Robin was fighting with someone and I needed to get here right away. By the time I did, Robin was gone, but this," John gestured at their surroundings, "was left behind."

Regina shook her head as she walked through the diner, shaking her head. "No, this can't be right. It's so unlike him."

"That's why I called you. I'm worried that this isn't him at all. Perhaps the potion did more than wipe his memories. John tilted his head, "Although, it's not completely unlike him." Regina spun around to face him. "It's unusual, but not unheard of. We've been in our share of bar fights in our days." John looked a little proud at that statement, until a glare from Regina caused him to lose the smirk and drop his eyes to the floor. He cleared his throat. "From what I understand, the man Robin fought with was Will Scarlett." John made a face, as though just mentioning the man's name left a bad taste in his mouth. "He's a common thief. He joined our band years ago, and tricked us into robbing the castle of a witch to steal a magic mirror. Then he ran off, leaving us in danger."

Regina considered this. "Well, I suppose it would make sense that Robin would be angry with him."

John shook his head. "But Robin forgave him. When Will disappeared and we realized what he had done, Robin said that Will was a lost soul. He said we had all been petty thieves at one point, and we could only hope that Will would one day find something greater than himself to fight for, as we had."

Regina wasn't so sure that those words meant what John thought they did. She walked further into the diner and took a seat at the end of the bar furthest from the door. She sat with her back against the counter. "Robin may not have meant what he said. I know a thing or two about holding a grudge toward someone you think has wronged you. And about only pretending to forgive them." Little John's story had brought her relief, thinking that it was only Robin Hood who had done this, and not the potion.

John wasn't convinced. "Perhaps that would explain Robin hitting Will, but not all this," John said, indicating the mess around them. "Losing his temper completely is not like him. And he would never cause this much damage and then just walk away."

"Speaking of damage, I assume someone else will be paying to fix all this." Granny walked out of the back room with a scowl on her face.

Regina turned to face the older woman across the counter. Granny's finances were the least of her worries right now. "I'm sure your insurance will cover the damage."

Granny leaned on the counter. "And if not, I assume you wouldn't mind finding room in the town budget for the repairs?"

Regina narrowed her eyes and was about to say that she was no longer the mayor and this was not her problem. Until the door opened behind her.

A chill ran through the air, raising the hair on the back of her neck. The door opening had obviously let in a cool breeze.

"Robin," Little John called behind her, walking toward the door.

With her back still towards the room, Regina said to Granny, "alright. Why don't you show me your insurance documents and I'll help you sort out what you need."

Granny looked somewhere between confused and suspicious, but wasn't about to turn down the offer. Without a word, she turned and headed to the back of the diner. Regina slipped off the stool and followed wordlessly behind.

…

The diner immediately got much quieter when Robin walked in. He did a quick survey of his surroundings - the waitress, Ruby, stood staring at him with a broom unmoving in her hands. There were others, too, all looking warily at him. And finally, John, calling his name and walking towards him. "We were worried about you," John said. "What happened here?"

Robin grimaced. "I'm afraid I got a tad out of control. This entire day has been quite a lot to handle. I had to take a walk to cool off." Robin looked around once again. Granny was nowhere to be seen, so he instead addressed himself to her granddaughter. "I apologize for the damage I caused. I offer my help in fixing anything I can, and paying to fix what I cannot." Robin gave her a cautious smile, looking decidedly ashamed for what he had done.

John felt all the tension leave his body. Robin was back. John had panicked when he received Granny's phone call (the panic having absolutely nothing to do with the loud bell noises emerging suddenly from his pocket). His earlier discussion with Robin had worried him. Robin had reacted so negatively to the news of his relationship with Regina that John wondered if the potion affected more than his memory, if perhaps the man before him wasn't quite Robin. This fight could have been a sign of that, but instead it was just a misunderstanding.

John stepped toward Robin and Ruby. "All the Merry Men will pitch in," he said, smiling at them both. "We'll have this place good as new in no time."

Ruby thanked them both, and said she and Granny would be happy to accept whatever help the men could offer. Robin then asked if he could speak to Granny, wanting to apologize personally. Ruby pointed him towards the back room.

…

Robin found the door to the back office Ruby had pointed out slightly ajar. He knocked on it, pushing the door further open. He found Granny, sitting behind a desk covered in papers, looking annoyed. Standing next to her, leaning over the papers, was a woman whose dark hair blocked her face from Robin's sight.

Granny looked up at the sound of the knock. She frowned and asked, "can I help you?"

Robin took that as an invitation and pushed the door the rest of the way open, stepping into the small room. "I came to apologize."

"For destroying my diner?" she said, gruffly.

Robin winced. "Yes. I'm sorry I lost my temper at that man. It's been a long time coming. I've already spoken to Ruby about fixing this. My men and I can be here first thing in the morning, repairing the damage. I assure you, we have the best intentions and will leave this place better than it was."

Granny didn't smile. But she looked at him with interest, and nodded her consent. "Very well," she said, walking around the desk towards him. She came right up to him and, despite her being a good deal shorter than him, he felt mildly intimidated. "Be here early. I'm popular with the morning crowd and you wouldn't want me losing any more business would you?"

Robin pressed his lips together to hold in a smile and shook his head. Granny nodded again, and walked out of the room. Robin let out a breath, before noticing that the other woman in the room was still leaning on her hands on the desk. He had barely noticed her, most likely since she hadn't moved a muscle the entire time he was there.

He looked at her curiously now. "Pardon my interruption, I didn't realize that Granny had company."

She looked up, and Robin could finally see her face. His eyes met hers immediately. He found he couldn't tear them away. She was staring at him, her face a mask. He said, coldly, "I especially didn't realize she kept the company of the Evil Queen."

She stood facing him. This was exactly how he had always imagined she would be. Strong, powerful, regal, and cold. For several minutes, they stood staring at one another, until finally she asked, "How is Marian?"

Robin kept his face expressionless. "My wife is well."

She flinched. For a moment, her mask slipped. For just a moment, a mess of emotions ran across her face, barely long enough to be noticed. But then the mask was back, and she nodded.

He stood for several more minutes, staring at her. For years, he had imagined running into the Evil Queen. He imagined she would be gleeful at the pain of others, or derisive towards him. But this woman showed nothing, except for that look. For that one moment, he had seen everything she was feeling. It seemed to him there was far too much in that look, too much to be felt and far too much to be understood by him. But there was one emotion that had broken through, in that brief moment. One thing she seemed to feel more than anything: pain.

She asked after Marian, he called her his wife, and she had felt pain. A realization suddenly hit Robin, so obvious he couldn't believe it only came to him now. John had said that they had been in a relationship, he and the queen. He had said that they grew close, that Robin loved her.

Until this moment, he hadn't realized that, more than likely, the queen had loved him, too.

Robin stepped closer to her, and her entire body twitched. "You gave me a potion, to forget you. We were in a relationship?" She looked him up and down, then nodded. "Did you love me?"

She couldn't have, though. If she had loved him, she wouldn't have made him a potion to forget her. Especially when the purpose of forgetting her was to get his wife back. She could admit it, admit she never loved him, and that would be that. He really expected a yes or no answer, but she didn't give one. She just looked away and, after a moment, walked around him to the door.

Without turning, he asked, "Why did you do it?" He heard her stop. "Why give me the potion?"

In a soft voice, she said, "are you angry?"

He turned to her. She stood in the doorway, her back to him, with her face turned just far enough for her to see him, if she raised her eyes. "Why would I be angry? I have everything I ever wanted."

She nodded, tight-lipped, then walked away.

…

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** See? A nice, long chapter this time, as a thank-you for your patience. It was getting so long, I almost cut it short and just posted the first half, but I couldn't do that to you, and also I couldn't stop writing. Also, I promise one more update before the next episode airs!

Omg you guys! Your reviews make me _so so happy!_ Especially the long ones, where I can really get a sense of what you're thinking, and respond:

First of all, Robin is NOT crazy! He's had a hard day! Go easy on him.

To the guest who dreamed about my fic: that's amazing! And makes me feel strangely powerful… I really love that my story is getting into your head ;).

Also, I love to read your opinions on the characterizations because, while the story is mine, the characters are borrowed, so I try my best to do them justice. I'm trying really hard to get into Robin's head: what must it be like to wake up one day and be told that even though your long-lost love is back, you fell in love with someone else who just happens to be the one who killed your first love? It's a tough headspace to enter. I also believe that magic should follow a strict set of guidelines and, once explained, should be consistent. So I thought this particular potion would work in a very specific way, and I'm trying to ensure that it does.

Speaking of which, noticeably missing from my story thus far:

**Disclaimer: The characters and the OUAT story do not belong to me. I just wrote this story.**


	9. Camp (Robin)

When Robin returned to the camp, he found Marian tucking Roland into bed. He watched her from just inside the entrance to their tent. Marian gently stroke Roland's hair as she sang him a lullaby, the same one she used to sing over his crib so many years ago. Robin smiled. Roland deserved this - they both did.

When Marian's song ended, she leaned forward to kiss the sleeping boy on his forehead. She stood up and turned, smiling when she spotted Robin. She waited until they both stepped out of the tent to say, "I didn't hear you come in."

"You weren't supposed to. I'm a professional thief." Robin reached for her hand and they walked together over to the center of the camp, where the men were scattered in small groups. Robin sat by the fire and pulled Marian down next to him. As she sat, she spotted his injured knuckles.

"Robin! What happened to your hands?" Marian exclaimed.

Robin let out an embarrassed smile. "It's nothing," he assured her. "I ran into an old acquaintance and let my anger get the better of me."

Marian's eyes widened. "You started a fight?" Robin had been in many altercations in his life, but he usually avoided violence where he could.

Robin shifted. "Like I said, I lost my temper. But it's fine, I'm taking care of it." Robin smiled and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You have nothing to worry about."

Just then, Friar Tuck ran up to them, with several merry men following behind him. "Robin! We heard you were in a fight in town. Who attacked you? Are you hurt?"

Robin stood and addressed the group, raising his voice to draw the attention of all the men nearby. "Rest easy, I am well. The only damage we should worry about was to Granny's diner. We've been in enough tavern scuffles to know the kind of damage it can cause."

The men chuckled, but one called out, "who started the fight?"

Robin said, "I fought a man named Will Scarlet. Many of you will remember him." They did, if the murmuring from the crowd was any indication. "Well, he has returned, but he'll not be welcome among us." The men nodded in agreement.

Robin looked around at his men. They trusted him to be their leader, and he trusted each of them in turn. He was generally reluctant to share his personal life, but since he already had their attention, he figured he would get this bit of business out of the way. "While I have you gathered, you should know that in order to aid Marian's recovery," Robin turned to smile down at his wife. She smiled back, and he returned to face the crowd, "I took a magic potion that has wiped my memories." Their reaction to this news was louder than to Will Scarlet's return. Robin reassured them quickly. "You have no need to worry, I haven't forgotten anyone's birthday. I've only forgotten a few, unimportant things that occurred after our arrival in this world. I just wanted to be honest with all of you."

Robin waited a moment for the men to absorb this news. They seemed reassured, so he continued. "But the damage to Granny's diner _is _something to worry about. We are men of the people, men of honor, and we never leave a place worse than we found it. So, I ask for a few volunteers to help repair the damage caused by the fight. Who will join me in the morning?"

At first, nobody spoke up. They were good men, but not usually early risers. Robin stared at John, who reluctantly raised his hand. After a few more minutes of staring, three other men had raised their hands, and Robin finally smiled. "Thank you. Sleep up, men, we leave at first light." The men who had raised their hands groaned, and everyone returned to their earlier conversations, Robin say back down next to Marian, turning to her with an easy smile.

Marian looked warily at him. "How much damage did you cause that you need five men to fix it?"

Robin put his hand on her knee and squeezed gently. "It's not that bad. Granny just wants the work done quickly so she can open on time tomorrow. More men mean faster repairs."

Marian didn't seemed reassured. "And what of this memory potion? How did it help me recover?"

Robin's smiled faltered. He didn't know what Marian knew about his alleged relationship with the Evil Queen, and he certainly didn't want to tell her anything that would disturb her. "You were frozen for a few weeks. I don't remember much from that time, but I'm told that I… had some memories that were blocking my love for you." He raised a hand to cup her cheek and looked affectionately into her eyes. "I took the potion to rid my mind of those memories. They weren't important - you are all I need."

Marian placed her hand over Robin's on her cheek. "You mean the queen? That's what you forgot."

Robin startled. "I didn't realize you knew about that."

"Of course I knew," Marian said gently. "You were with her when I returned. Did you think I had forgotten?"

Robin gathered both her hands in his. "No, no of course not. _I'm_ the one who forgot. I have no recollection of this supposed relationship, but it doesn't matter now. I can hardly believe I was ever involved with that woman, but she is out of my life now. We don't ever have to worry about her again."

Marian smiled at him.

Tom sat down suddenly on Robin's other side. "A fight, hey? I didn't think you still had it in you!" Robin laughed along with him, squeezing Marian's hands before turning to face the fire.

"Well, I'm not proud of it, but thank you for volunteering." Tom had been the first, after John, to raise his hand.

Tom nodded. "Of course, anything to help our fearless leader. Especially if he's lost his mind." Tom leaned questioningly toward Robin.

Robin kept a steady gaze on him. "I did not lose my mind. Only a few memories."

Tom looked searchingly at Robin. "What exactly have you forgotten? The flying monkeys? The evil snow monster?"

Robin shook his head. "No, I remember all that."

He continued asking. "So then what did you forget? The delightful tale I've been telling the last few nights about my grandfather's heroics in the ogre wars?"

Robin and Marian both laughed. Tom had told those stories countless times, and each time his grandfather's actions grew more impressive and unbelievable. "No, I don't recall that. How many ogres did he fight off with only a dagger?"

"15," Tom said seriously. "And it wasn't a dagger, it was a kitchen knife. Very well, Robin, I'll just have to tell it again."

"No, please," Robin laughed. "I think I should be heading to bed. It's been a very long day and we both need to be up early."

Robin stood, and pulled Marian up with him. They both wished Tom a good night, and headed towards Robin's tent. When they got there, Marian pulled her hand away. "Robin, if you don't mind, I think I'll go sit by the fire a while longer."

Robin put his hand on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Is something wrong? Are you still cold? I didn't think to ask Emma if there would be any lasting effects from the freezing curse."

Marian put her hands on Robin's chest and shook her head. "No, I'm fine. I've just been asleep for weeks - I'd rather spend some more time awake before going to bed."

Robin pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. "I love you," he said, then watched as she walked back to the campfire. Robin crawled into his tent and was immediately asleep.

...

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I wanted to write Regina's POV for the last scene (probably next chapter), but I'm waiting for the next episode to air. This fic starts after 4x07, and I tried to stick mostly to cannon from 4x08. I'll try to do the same for the next episode, but it will depend on what happens. If it's too far from where this is going, my story is just going to branch off from there.

As always, please review!


	10. Breathe (Regina)

**Edit: There was a glitch, so I had to re-post this chapter.**

**A/N:** I missed Regina - her POV has been seriously lacking in this story. So now it's back.

…

Regina froze when she heard the knock at the door. He was here.

She was leaning over the desk, her hair blocking him from her site - and vice versa, she hoped. He started talking to Granny. He wasn't here for her. _Just breathe_, she told herself. She didn't move.

She couldn't hear a word that was said, barely registering when Granny moved toward him and out the door.

Then they were alone.

She tried to relax. _Breathe_. Maybe he would leave. He could leave. "Pardon my interruption, I didn't realize Granny had company."

He didn't leave. Regina closed her eyes and straightened, pulling herself together. She could do this. She schooled her features, making her face unreadable. She had perfected this mask over the years. She had been Mayor Mills and the Evil Queen longer than she had ever been Regina. She wouldn't let Robin Hood see her. She breathed, in and out. She opened her eyes and turned slowly, so slowly, to face him.

Robin's face was as cold as hers. "I especially didn't realize she kept the company of the Evil Queen."

_Breathe_. Good. This was good. He was seeing only what she showed him. But he still didn't leave. He stayed, staring at her.

Regina tried to think of something to say as she stood facing him. She hadn't prepared for this. She hadn't thought she would be seeing him so soon. For all her careful plans, she had nothing ready for when they would meet, and now could think of nothing at all. She tried desperately to find something, some safe topic, and finally asked after Marian.

"My wife is well."

Regina felt a stabbing pain in her heart. _Breathe!_ She regained control. Perhaps not quickly enough, because Robin was looking at her differently. His cold eyes had remained steady since he first saw her face, but now he was looking searchingly at her, as though he saw something. Then he seemed to find the answer he was looking for.

He stepped closer to her - a small step, but her reaction was instinctive and violent. Her body seemed to simultaneously try to move closer to him and further away, making her jerk in place. He stopped moving, but continued looking at her with questioning eyes. "You gave me a potion, to forget you. We were in a relationship?"

Okay. He was just looking for confirmation. She nodded. _Breathe_.

"Did you love me?"

He seemed to expect her to say no. If it hadn't been for the potion, she would have thought him a complete fool. She had told him she loved him, the only person besides Henry she had loved in decades. She had opened up to him more than to any other person in her life. They were soul mates. But he knew none of this.

Regina tried to think of which answer he wanted, which would make it easier for him to keep his distance from her. She could say no. He might walk away, drop it as unimportant and never address their history again. On the other hand, he might be suspicious of her, the Evil Queen, and keep coming back for answers about their relationship or the potion. She could also say yes. But that might draw more attention to her, cause him to look at her the way he was looking at her now, searching for answers he had no business finding.

In the end, she said nothing. Neither answer would be the truth. She couldn't say that she hadn't loved him. That would be a lie. But he had asked the question in the past tense, so saying yes would be a lie as well.

She headed for the door, moving carefully around him, keeping her distance. As she reached the doorway, he spoke once more. "Why did you do it? Why give me the potion?"

He said it like an accusation, and for a moment, she thought perhaps he did remember. He had been angry when he realized she had given him the potion without his consent. Maybe he was starting to get his memories back. Maybe he remembered how she tricked him and was simply trying to figure out how to forgive her. She turned to look at him over her shoulder, but stopped turning her head halfway through and looked at the ground instead, reigning in her hope. "Are you angry?"

He turned towards her, and said in a steady voice. "Why would I be angry? I have everything I ever wanted."

_Breathe_, she reminded herself. _Breathe_. She pressed her lips together and nodded once.

She controlled her steps, refusing to rush as she walked away from him and out of the diner. One foot in front of the other, to where she had parked her car. She went through the motions, driving the familiar path back to her house. Then she stepped inside and leaned against the door as she closed it behind her. Finally, she squeezed her eyes shut and her tears flowed freely.

…

**A/N:** Omg did anyone else's heart break in the last episode? Regina's speech to Robin Hood, where she says, "The thought of you looking at me like everyone else does, with hatred… it just might kill me." Now I feel completely awful for doing this to her. I may need a couple of days to continue.


	11. Assassin (Emma)

Mary Margaret, David and Emma entered the diner, looking around at the bustling activity. Merry men were everywhere - reassembling chairs, wiping down tables, sweeping the floors.

Emma stopped Little John as he passed by. "Hey, what happened in here?"

John smiled. "Not to worry. Robin got into a bit of a scuffle with an old acquaintance and there was some collateral damage. But we've fixed it - Granny's looks good as new!" He walked off, directing two of the men on where to place the tables.

Emma turned to face her parents. "Since when does Robin Hood get into fights?"

Mary Margaret looked worried. "Since she took Regina's potion."

"What potion?" David asked."

"The same potion I took when I wanted to forget you," she answered.

David's eyes widened. "You mean the one that made you want to assassinate Regina?"

Mary Margaret nodded. "That's the one."

"Wait, what?" Emma said. "Regina gave Robin an assassin potion?"

Mary Margaret turned to her daughter. "Actually, she wanted to talk to you about it. I completely forgot - she asked that you go see her as soon as possible. You should go to her."

"Now? Can I eat first" Emma asked.

Mary Margaret shook her head. "It's important. She'll explain everything."

Emma grabbed a muffin and coffee and walked out, grumbling something about saviors not getting any time off.

…

Regina opened her front door, muttered "come in" and walked away without checking to see that Emma was behind her. Emma entered the house, closed the door behind her and followed Regina into the living room.

"My mom said I should come over. I'm surprised you wanted to see me," Emma said, looking at Regina, whose back was still facing her.

"Well, I wouldn't use the word wanted." Regina turned around and gestured toward the couch. "Have a seat."

"I'm good," Emma said, not moving.

Regina sighed. "Fine. I need your help with something."

Emma raised her eyebrows. "You're asking for my help."

Regina narrowed her eyes at the blonde. "Well I figure you owe me." Emma crossed her arms but said nothing. Regina walked across the room to the window. "I gave Robin a potion to allow him to save Marian."

"Yes I heard, the assassin potion."

Regina turned to Emma. "Where did you he- oh, your _mother_," she almost spit the word out. "I told her she has no understanding of magic. It's not an assassin potion, it's a memory potion. It selectively erases memories. If it turned your mother into an assassin, that's her problem, not a problem with the potion."

_Seriously?_ Emma thought. She put her hands on her hips and asked, "so exactly what kind of memories did the potion erase? Because Robin Hood got into a fight last night at Granny's. What did he forget that turned him violent?"

Regina glared. "The fight had nothing to do with the potion. Robin bumped into a man from his past who had betrayed him. I'm sure the man got what he deserved, and Robin promised his merry men would fix up the diner."

"Well, they did, I just came from there. The diner looks great." Regina looked relieved. "But that doesn't answer my question about Robin's memories."

Regina used the same voice she used when she tried to teach Emma how to use her magic. "The potion is designed to make whoever takes it forget the person they love. When your mother took it, she forgot her prince Charming." Her voice got a bit quieter as she said, "when Robin took it, he forgot about me. He doesn't remember ever meeting me, and he was able to wake Marian with True Love's Kiss."

Emma was pretty sure Regina could tell how guilty she felt, and seemed to be happy about it. Before Emma had a chance to speak, Regina continued. "The favor I need from you involves Marian's heart. I removed it, but I didn't think I should be there to return it. Marian doesn't trust me, and Robin doesn't know me. So I thought it would be best if you were to return it."

Now Emma started to feel panicked. "What? I don't know how to return people's hearts. What if I mess it up? What if I - "

Regina cut her off. "Oh relax, you don't actually have to do it. I did it for you." Regina let a tiny smile slip through as she spotted Emma's confusion. "I returned Marian's heart as soon as she woke up, disguised as you." Emma's eyes widened. "Like I said, I didn't think I should be there. So I let them think it was you. I need for you to play along, in case the subject comes up."

"So you want me to pretend I put Marian's heart back, even though you already did it?"

"Yes. Little John got a note from me to bring her heart to the mayor's office. You met them there, got the heart from Robin and put it in Marian's chest." Regina waited until Emma nodded. "Also, as you were leaving, John asked you about Robin's memory lapse, and you explained the potion to him."

Emma looked skeptical. "I did? Because I'm not sure I even understand the potion yet."

Regina sighed. "All right, I'll explain to you exactly what you supposedly told John."

Regina repeated what she had said to John, and Emma made sure she understood the implications of the potion. Finally, Emma agreed to play along with the story, as crazy as it sounded.

Regina tried to rush her out, but first Emma had one more question.

"What's going to happen now, if you see Robin again? Will this be the third first meeting you two have?"

Regina didn't meet her eyes as she said, "I saw him last night. He already knew me by reputation."

"By reputation, what - "

Regina cut her off again. "He knows the Evil Queen. He knows sh- I tried to kill Marian. That's all I am to him now."

Emma wanted to say something else, but Regina was already walking past her to the front door. She opened it, and waited for Emma to leave. As soon as Emma was out the door, it slammed behind her.

Emma shook her head, think over the entire strange conversation. She didn't like lying, but as Regina said, Emma owed her one.

…

When Emma arrived back at the loft, David and Mary Margaret were there waiting. David asked, "how did it go?"

"Okay," Emma said. "She wants me to pretend that I returned Marian's heart when the freezing curse was broken. She doesn't want anyone to know that it was her, disguised as me."

"Did she say anything else about the potion?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Just that it made Robin forget her. And that he might forget other things, so Little John should fill him in."

David noticed Mary Margaret frowning. "What is it?" he asked.

Mary Margaret shrugged. "I think Regina's taking this potion too lightly. You and I know, there are consequences. He might not be okay."

"But what can we do?" David asked. "He's already taken the potion."

Mary Margaret said, "but the memory curse can be broken. You broke it with True Love's Kiss."

David looked down at her. "Do you think Marian could break the curse? Or does it have to be Regina."

"No, Marian couldn't break it, or it would have broken when Robin broke the freezing curse. It'll have to be Regina."

Emma asked, "so if Regina kisses Robin, he'll remember her again?"

Mary Margaret shook her head as David answered. "It's not that simple. After your mother took the potion, I tried kissing her but it didn't work."

"I didn't love him, so it wasn't True Love's Kiss."

"I had to fight for her," David said, smiling down at her. "Get her to fall in love with me again."

"Well I hate to burst your bubble," Emma interrupted, "but I don't think that's going to work this time. Regina said she bumped into Robin. He only knows her as the Evil Queen."

"What?" Henry said, walking into the room, startling Emma.

"Henry," Emma said. "How long have you been listening?" Elsa had brought Henry back to the loft this morning, while Emma, David and Mary Margaret went to grab breakfast at Granny's.

"Why, were you planning on hiding this from me?"

"Henry…" Mary Margaret started.

"Tell me everything, Henry demanded. "Why does Robin think my mom is the Evil Queen?"

Emma didn't want to tell Henry everything, but she would not hide things from him. So she told him about the potion, with Mary Margaret explaining that it was the same one she had taken.

Henry listened to all of it. "So you don't think that my mom could break the memory curse?"

David shrugged. "It's possible, I suppose. But it was hard enough to convince Snow to fall in love with me when I was a stranger. Regina would have to convince Robin to fall in love with the Evil Queen, who tried to kill his wife."

Henry looked worried. Emma hated seeing him like this. "Hey kid, Regina knew what she was doing when she gave Robin the potion. It was the heroic thing to do - you should be proud of her."

Henry said, "she's right, though. Heroes are supposed to get happy endings, but even when she acts like a hero, she still ends up unhappy." He looked at Emma. "Do you think it would be okay if I spent the rest of the day with her? I know you've been through a lot, but -"

Emma said, "no, youre right. I think she needs you more than I do right now. How about you call her and ask you to meet her for lunch? I'll walk you over to Granny's."

...

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** OMG over 100 followers! I am so overwhelmed! I love you all.

And your reviews are so insightful! They really get me thinking more about the characters and where the story is going next. (I know where it's going to end up, but not necessarily how it will get there.)

I had an idea for the Spell of Shattered Sight, but since Robin's already acting like he's under it, I didn't think it would fit. So I wrote that as a separate story, and for now, the Spell is not happening in this story.


	12. Liar (Robin)

"Breakfast for everyone, on Robin!" Little John announced to the assembled men.

Robin laughed. Well, he supposed they earned it. The diner looked great, and just in time for the dwarves' arrival for their morning coffee. Robin walked over to Granny, who sent Ruby to get everyone's orders. Robin followed Granny over to the register to pay.

Tom came over to them. "Just a minute, Granny, can you add a beer to my order?"

Robin gently punched Tom's arm. "I'm not paying for your drink, mate. Be happy with breakfast."

Tom smiled and pretended to rub his shoulder. "Hey, you owe one! I bought you a drink at the pub last week."

Robin frowned slightly. "Last week? Well fine, then, add it to the tab." Robin pointed a finger at Tom. "Never let it be said that I'm not a man of my word." Tom walked back to the booth where the rest of the men were gathered while Robin paid the bill.

The bell over the door chimed as a small figure came up to the counter.

Robin turned,expecting to see a dwarf, but instead spotted Emma's son, Henry.

Henry looked warily at him before turning his attention to Granny, who greeted him warmly. "Hello Henry, what can I get for you today?"

"Nothing right now, thank you Granny," Henry responded. "I'm actually here about lunch. I wanted to treat my mom to something special. Can I ask you to make your blueberry pie? It's her favorite."

Robin watched a look of understanding pass between them. Was he missing something?

Granny agreed to have a fresh pie ready for lunchtime. Henry thanked her, looked suspiciously at Robin one more time, and walked away.

Robin put a hand on Henry's shoulder to stop him. "Henry," he said. "You said your mother is meeting you here for lunch?" Henry nodded, but he still had that wary look in his eyes. Robin couldn't understand what that was about. "I want to thank her again for everything she's done for Marian, and for me. Would you mind if I interrupted your lunch for a few moments?"

Henry seemed somewhat reassured. Hesitantly, he smiled. Then he wished Robin a good morning and left the diner.

…

The merry men headed back to the camp after a busy morning. But if they were hoping to relax, they would be disappointed.

"Men," Robin announced. "Archery practice!" A collective groan spread throughout the camp. Merry men started complaining that this was Storybrooke, and they didn't have to hunt anymore. Also, the witch was defeated and their arrows didn't work against magical foes anyway. But Robin was having none of it and asked John to divide the men into groups of five.

The first group consisted of three men who had been with Robin almost since the beginning, one who had joined shortly after Marian had died and the last had only joined after the curse broke. The lifers had no problem completing Robin's drill, having had years of practice and familiarity with Robin's standards. The fourth man was a natural with the bow, and required only a bit of guidance before he, too was released. But the last man, Andrew, was abysmal with a bow and arrow. He was good with a sword, but archery was a skill that continued to elude him.

Andrew struggled to send an arrow flying at all, let alone in a deliberate direction. Robin didn't notice while he was busy with the others, but once Andrew was the last one left, his failure became obvious.

Andrew picked up the last arrow in his quiver, and launched it to about a foot away.

"What are you doing?" Robin asked. "How is it possible you haven't picked up any archery at all? What have you been doing all this time?"

"I'm sorry, Robin," he said. "I'm just no good at this."

"What do you mean you're no good?" Robin scolded him, loudly. "Good isn't something you just are, it takes work! You expect to magically become good? No! You have to earn it! Go get the arrows and we'll start again."

Andrew gathered his arrows, and reassumed his position. He raised his arms, and pulled an arrow back.

"No!" Robin yelled. Andrew flinched. "Have you not been watching the other men? Turn your body, lower your elbow, and face the direction in which you are aiming!"

Andrew nodded, and tried again. He released the bow, and the arrow dropped to the ground.

"What is wrong with you, boy? You're useless! I can't teach you. Get out of here. Practice until you can hit that target. You won't be allowed to sleep until you can." Andrew looked horrified. Robin said, "well, go! You're not going to get any better standing around gaping at me!"

Robin turned to where John had gathered the next group. They were watching the exchange, surprised. Robin said, "all right, let's see what you lot have."

The men took up their positions and began firing. Luckily, each of them was somewhat skilled. Once Robin sent them away, satisfied, John asked him gently, "what was that Robin?"

Robin looked at him, confused. "What was what?"

"The way you yelled at Andrew. He's trying his best."

Robin pointed toward where Andrew had gone into the woods to practice alone. "That was not trying. Trying yields results. He was obviously relying on the other men's skills to protect him. Every man must pull his own weight around here." Seeing that John wasn't satisfied, Robin continued, "I will give him extra lessons to make sure he improves, all right?" John nodded, but still didn't look happy.

Robin tried changing the subject. "What do you say we go out for a drink tonight? What's the name of the pub around here?"

"You mean Granny's?" John asked.

"No," Robin said. "Isn't there a pub? Where were we usually go?"

John shook his head. "I don't know what you mean, Robin. Neither you nor I have been to a pub since we've been here."

Robin frowned. "Then where was I drinking with Tom last week?"

"I'm sorry, Robin, you must be confused. You weren't drinking with Tom. You were with Roland every night last week."

Robin's face went from confused to angry. "Robin?" John asked. "What's wrong?"

Robin didn't answer, but stormed away, telling John the rest of the groups could wait until after lunch.

…

Around mid-afternoon, Marian was sitting by the fire with Roland when Robin dropped down next to her. Robin said, "what do you say I take you two to lunch at Granny's?"

Roland jumped up, "Yes!"

Robin stood and offered his hand to Marian, "you can see for yourself that there was no lasting damage from the incident yesterday."

Marian smiled, and nodded. She took his hand and allowed him to pull her up. Then, she noticed Tom carrying what looked like all of his belongings and walking slowly towards town.

Marian asked, "what is Tom doing?"

Robin's voice went cold. "He's leaving." Marian looked at him questioningly. "This morning, after he found out I was missing memories, he had me buy him a drink. He said I owed him from a time I don't remember. Later I come to find out it isn't true. I won't have that behaviour around our camp."

"So you're kicking him out?" Marian asked. "For how long?"

Robin looked at her, surprised. "He lied, and stole from me. That is not what the Merry Men are about. If he can't abide by our code, he can no longer be one of us. He won't be welcomed back."

Marian grabbed Robin's arm. "Robin, he was probably only joking! He would have repaid you, I'm sure."

Robin pulled his arm away from Marian. "A person's actions speak to their character. Someone who lies and steals is a liar and a thief."

"But it's such a small thing. Surely you can forgive him."

Robin looked at her, incredulous. "Forgive a man who steals from his friends? Some things are unforgivable, Marian. And some people should not be forgiven."

Robin picked up Roland and started walking toward Granny's. Marian followed behind with a worried look.

…

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** For those asking for longer chapters, I can only post as the story comes to me. I'd rather post short chapters more frequently than leave you hanging for a week or longer. Next chapter coming tomorrow!


	13. Mothers (Regina)

Regina sat in her car across the street from Granny's. She was supposed to meet Henry in a few minutes, but she was worried. She hadn't intended to be out in public so soon, but Henry had been so sweet in his invitation (even insisted it would be his treat) that she couldn't say no. Still, she dreaded the thought of bumping into Robin again.

Regina pulled out her phone and called the diner. When Ruby answered, Regina asked if Henry was there. When Ruby said no, Regina asked whether the diner was very busy and who else was there. She tried to be subtle, but subtlety was definitely not her strong suit. Ruby said only Archie and two of the dwarfs were there. Regina thanked her and breathed a sigh of relief.

As she stepped into the diner, Regina looked around noticing the complete transformation from her visit the day before. Emma was right - it looked like all the damage had been repaired. She said as much to Granny.

Granny nodded, "well, I suppose, although I still have to fill out that damn insurance paperwork. Don't think I forgot you promised to help with that."

Regina narrowed her eyes at Granny. "That was before the repairs were done for you." Still, she agreed and followed Granny back to her office.

Granny had always kept the diner's paperwork organized, so they were sorted out in about 15 minutes. When they were done, Regina walked back into the diner, finding it decidedly more crowded than when she had first entered. Emma was there, standing in front of the booth closest to the back of the diner. In the booth, Marian and Robin were seated opposite each other. She froze for a moment.

Emma spotted her, and walked right over. Why did this woman think they were friends?

Emma said, "I just walked Henry over here. He asked if he could stay with you tonight. I said it would be okay."

Fine. Regina would tolerate her presence as long as Emma was only discussing arrangements for Henry. Regina nodded. Emma looked like she wanted to say something more, but then Henry emerged from the back room holding Roland's hand. Regina's face softened seeing the two of them. Roland released Henry's hand as he climbed into the booth next to his mother. Henry walked over to his mothers and greeted Regina with a hug. Emma ruffled Henry's hair, and said goodbye.

Henry smiled. "Should we sit?" Henry led her over to the booth closest to the front of the restaurant and quickly slipped into the side with his back to the window. Regina was fairly certain he did it to keep Robin out of her line of sight. She would probably have to discuss this new Robin situation with him when they were alone.

Ruby came over to take their order. After they each ordered a burger and fries, Henry said, "and don't forget the dessert."

"What dessert?" Regina asked, but Ruby only winked at Henry and left.

Henry smiled at her. "It's a surprise. I asked Granny to make something special for you."

Regina was touched at how thoughtful her son had turned out. She may have done a lot wrong in her life, but with Henry she knew she at least did something right. "So, how did the search go last night?" she asked.

Henry talked throughout their meal. Perhaps he could sense that Regina wasn't in the mood to talk, but very much wanted to be hear about his life. He talked about his school work, his comic books, and what baby Neal had been up to. Regina could tell he wanted to know about Robin, but he held himself back until Ruby brought out the dessert.

Regina laughed as two plates and a steaming hot blueberry pie were placed in front of her. "An entire pie? Who do you think is going to eat all this?"

"Don't worry," Henry said. "I'll make sure it gets eaten."

Regina chuckled. and cut them each a slice. As Henry took his first bite, he finally asked, "so, are you going to tell me about the potion?"

Regina dropped her fork. "Wow, that Charming family _really_ can't keep a secret."

Henry said, "Mom, I thought we agreed, no more secrets."

Regina looked him in the eyes. "You're right. I suppose I would have just rather told you myself." Henry resumed eating and waited for her to continue. "You've read about the potion in your book. As I explained before, the potion works a little differently depending on who's taking it." With a quick glance behind her to ensure that Robin and his family were otherwise occupied, she continued, "I can tell you the details at home. But I promise, it's safe. Robin forgot about me and how he's back with Marian. We're not together anymore. And we won't be, ever again."

Regina waited for Henry to ask about breaking the curse. Her son, the truest believer, coming from the product of true love and the heir to a legacy of hope, was bound to ask questions she didn't want to answer. She waited for him to encourage her, as Mary Margaret had, to believe that she and Robin might someday be together again, breaking her heart further as she had to explain how it would never happen.

Henry said, "so what do you want me to do?" Regina looked at him, confused. "About Robin. How do we feel about him now that he's with Marian instead of you?"

Regina was shocked. We? He was on her side. He was supporting her, whatever she decided. She almost laughed. "Well, Henry, what Robin wants to do is really up to him."

"But do we hate him? For leaving you, I mean. Because I can hate him if you want me to hate him. Or should I ignore him? I'm a teenager now, I'm good at ignoring adults."

Now Regina did laugh. "No, Henry, I don't hate him. And I don't want you to, either. You shouldn't hate anyone. He's doing the right thing, and it's what he wants. And you should always be polite to adults."

Henry nodded, but his eyes looked past her. A shadow fell across the table as Regina felt a presence come up beside her and the subtle smell of forest filled her senses.

Robin's voice interrupted their conversation. "I've been told I owe you a debt of gratitude." Robin's voice was cold. His voice was always cold, now, when he talked to her.

Regina wasn't sure what Robin was going to say to her, but she was fairly certain she didn't want her son to hear it. "Henry, why don't you go ask Granny to box up the rest of the pie for us."

Henry hesitated. "Are you sure?" he asked, his eyes drifting to Robin and then back to her. "Because I can stay."

Regina smiled slightly, _My hero_, she thought. But she nodded, and he took the pie over to the counter. Regina raised her eyes toward Robin. He was looking at her with his familiar blue eyes, but nothing about them seemed familiar now. He had never, not even when the first met in the Enchanted Forest, looked at her with such distaste. Worried he would keep talking, she spoke instead. "I don't know what you heard, but you owe me nothing."

"I was unable to revive my wife until you gave me that potion." Regina looked down at her lap. "So, thank you for allowing me to forget you."

Regina felt her entire body stiffen. "The potion was made to separate us. There's really no need for you to talk to me anymore." She looked back up at him. "You have your family back. Go to them, and leave me alone." Was that a quiver in her voice? She hoped it wasn't noticeable.

Robin nodded, and returned to where Marian was helping Roland out of the booth. Robin took Roland's hand and walked out of the diner. Marian followed behind, but before stepping out the door, she looked back at Regina. Regina met her eyes, steeling herself for the hatred she expected to see there. Marian looked at her interestedly, without judgement. Then, she nodded once, and walked out the door.

…

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Sorry if this chapter feels incomplete! It's going to be another double-POV chapter, but I wanted to do Regina's first.

Sneak peek of the next chapter: it's called Sons, it's Robin's POV of this, and it will show what Regina missed.

Please review!


	14. Sons (Robin)

Marian looked around as she stepped into Granny's.

"See?" Robin said.

Marian nodded. "You were right, it looks perfect."

Ruby walked up to them. "Hello Robin, Marian." She crouched down. "And how are you today Roland?"

"I'm having lunch at Granny's!" He said enthusiastically. Robin smiled. They had lunch at Granny's more often than not, but still Roland thought it was an adventure every time.

Ruby laughed. "Yes, I can see that. Do you want to sit in our super special booth?" Roland nodded enthusiastically and Ruby took his hand, leading them to the furthest booth. Roland climbed onto the bench, and Marian followed him. Robin sat opposite them, on the side at the back wall so he could see the entire diner. Ruby placed three menus in front of them (Roland grabbed one and looked intently at it) and promised to be back soon for their orders.

"What's good here?" Marian asked Robin.

"Granny makes the best hamburgers," Roland said. "Henry says so." Robin watched affectionately as Marian smoothed their son's hair.

Marian said, "well, if Henry says so it must be true."

The bell over the front door rang and Robin looked up. Robin said, "Speaking of whom... Roland, look who just walked in."

Roland stood on the seat. He spotted Henry walking in with Emma and started waving enthusiastically with both arms. "Henry! Hi Henry! Look, we're having lunch at Granny's!"

Emma had her hand on Henry's shoulder as they both walked over.

"Hi Roland," Henry said. "You're getting a hamburger with fries, right? Like we talked about."

"With extra ketchup on the side," Roland said, nodding seriously.

Henry said, "Hello Marian. I'm glad to see you're awake again. Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, thank you, I'm perfectly fine. I have your mother to thank for that." Marian smiled up at Emma, who shifted uncomfortably.

Henry nodded. "Yeah, she worked really hard to save you. I'm glad it worked out."

Robin smiled at Henry, then said to Emma. "I wanted to thank you as well. When I woke Marian, I think I was still in a state of shock. I really appreciate your help in bringing my family back together." The look Henry gave him moved slowly from confusion to disappointment.

"Daddy, can I have french fries?" Roland said.

Marian said, "you have to wash your hands before you eat anything. Come on, I'll take you."

"No, I want Henry to take me!" Roland said.

Robin shook his head. "Roland, leave Henry alone." He had no idea where Roland's fondness came from - he couldn't recall the boys spending much time together.

Henry said, "I don't mind. I have to wash my hands, too, Roland. Come on."

Roland smiled widely and scrambled over Marian. He grabbed Henry's hand and practically dragged him away.

Marian smiled after them. "Henry is such a nice boy."

Robin nodded in agreement. "He was in here earlier talking to Granny. He's so polite, and respectful."

Marian turned to Emma. "You must be very proud of your son."

Emma nodded. "I am. Roland's a good kid, too. Henry seems to like him a lot."

"Yes, I wish I could take more credit for Roland. I really think it's a testament to how he was raised." Marian smiled at Robin before turning back to Emma. "You both did a great job, raising those boys."

Emma said, "uh, actually I can't take much credit for Henry. I didn't meet him until a few years ago." Robin was startled, and Emma looked at him, confused. "Regina adopted him as a baby. She raised him alone until he was 10. Now, we kind of share him."

Robin was shocked, and didn't hide it. "Someone gave that monster a baby?"

"Robin!" Marian said.

Emma was glaring at him. "She is not a monster. How can you say that? Henry said you wanted to see her at lunch to thank her for saving Marian!"

Robin remembered the conversation from that morning. Henry had been talking about having lunch with his mother. It never occurred to Robin that the boy might have more than one. Suddenly, Henry's behavior around him made sense.

"I thought he meant you," Robin said. "I didn't know Henry had two mothers. Why would I thank the Evil Queen?"

Emma said, "well, maybe because she gave up everything to do what was right, and to save you both!" Robin looked incredulously at her, as she seemed to immediately regret her outburst. "I mean, you know about the potion, right? Well, without it, Marian never would have been saved."

"I don't see how that suddenly makes her a hero," Robin said. "She was merely undoing the harm she did in the first place. She tried to kill my wife. Saving Marian barely balances the scales. Especially since she's at fault for my being unable to rescue Marian in the first place."

Emma shook her head at Robin. "Listen, whatever your issues are, you better watch what you say in front of Henry about his mother."

The air in the diner suddenly seemed to grow thicker as Robin became aware of a strong presence. Emma must have noticed it, too. She looked behind her, and there was the Evil Queen. She was staring right at him. Their eyes locked for a moment, but then Emma was standing in front of the queen, blocking Robin from her view.

Robin turned his attention back to Marian, who was looking at him strangely.

"What?" Robin asked.

"Is it true? The potion that helped you wake me came from Regina?" Marian asked. Reluctantly, Robin nodded. "Then that's twice she's saved me. The first time was when the snow monster attacked, before I was frozen. She hated me, I know she did. Everyone was unconscious, and the beast almost killed me. She saw it. She could have just let it happen. Nobody would have known. But she saved my life. If our roles were reversed, I don't know if I would have done the same."

Robin shook his head. "You would never have done the wrong thing. But if you did let her die, nobody would blame you. She is a monster."

"She's not," Maran said, but was cut off when Henry brought Roland back from the bathroom. Roland sat back down next to Marian, who pulled him closer to her as he reached for the menu again.

Henry walked over to his mothers without another word. Emma walked away and the other two sat in the booth farthest from Robin and his family. They sat so Robin could only see the back of the queen's head.

Ruby came over to ask for their orders. "Three burgers, please," Robin said.

"And fries!" Roland added. "With ketchup on the side."

Robin nodded at Ruby, who wrote down the order and went over to the other booth. Robin turned his attention back to Marian, who was still glaring at him. Marian turned to Roland and said, "Roland, Henry is your friend, right?"

Roland nodded. "Henry is my best friend."

Marian kept talking to Roland, but faced Robin. "Henry is a very nice boy. I'm glad you're friends with him. We should all be very nice to him."

Robin got the message. She didn't want him to say anything bad to Henry about his mother, the Evil Queen. He couldn't understand how everyone seemed so tolerant of that vile woman's presence, but he supposed a child was innocent, and so he would restrain himself around her son.

When Ruby brought over their food, Roland attacked it enthusiastically. Marian became preoccupied with ensuring that more food ended up in his stomach than on his clothes. Robin allowed his attention to drift from one mother-son pair to another, sitting two booths away.

Henry was talking continuously. He seemed comfortable around the queen. And sitting opposite her son, she seemed harmless. He imagined they had shared many one-on-one meals. Robin knew what it was like to raise a son alone. He had his men, but Robin had been Roland's only parent for most of his life. It was a struggle now, Roland having a new mother. It was strange to think that he and the Evil Queen had something in common. But watching her so engaged with her son's conversation, he felt strangely connected to her.

"Robin?" Marian's voiced drew Robin's attention back to his own table. "Aren't you going to eat your meal?"

"Daddy, it's good," Roland said, demonstrating helpfully by taking a bite of his own burger. Robin nodded, and began eating.

Roland finished eating first and quickly grew impatient. He stood on the seat and looked around the diner. He turned back to his father. "Daddy, look, Henry's with Regina! We should say hi!"

Marian frowned, and Robin said, "no, Roland, we're not speaking to her."

Roland's small face scrunched, and he looked confused. "Why not?"

Robin looked at Marian, trying not to disappoint her as he answered Roland. "Because… Regina is not nice."

"Yes she is, Daddy, she's your friend. And she's Henry's mommy. And Henry's my friend, remember?"

Marian said, "Roland, Regina is eating with her son right now. Maybe you can say hi to her another day."

Roland seemed satisfied and plopped back down on the bench. Robin frowned at Marian. Exactly when did she think it would be alright to let their son speak to the Evil Queen?

Robin said, "Roland, you're five years old now, right?" Roland nodded. "That means you're a very big boy. I think you're old enough that you can try washing your hands by yourself. Why don't you go give it a try?"

Roland's eyes grew wide at the chance to prove his independence and he bolted out of the booth before his father could reconsider.

Marian raised her eyebrows at Robin's blatant attempt to get a moment alone. Robin said, "you don't really expect me to allow Roland around her."

Marian pulled back at this surprising reversal. It hadn't been long ago that she was questioning Robin's decision to allow Roland around Regina. "I understand where you're coming from, believe me. But she's a good mother. And I don't want to traumatize Roland."

"So you trust her now?" Robin said, incredulous.

"Well, I don't trust her exactly. But I think I'm starting to forgive her."

Robin stared wordlessly for a moment. He was in shock. "Marian, she tried to kill you. She took you from us. How can you forgive her?"

Marian said, "because I don't want to hate her forever!" She looked into his eyes. "She's not evil. I realize that now. I know she's done terrible things. But she's not the Evil Queen. She just isn't. Everyone in this town has moved beyond their past. Why not her? Why not me?" Robin shook his head. "I'm not planning on being friends with her. But we have to coexist in this town. You need to accept that."

Robin frowned at her. Fine. If that's what Marian wanted, he could pretend. He would go thank Regina, as Henry thought he meant to do. She had, he supposed, helped reunite him with Marian.

Roland came back to the booth and climbed up, showing his parents his still-wet (and not quite clean) hands. Marian laughed and grabbed a napkin to wipe them off. Robin reached over to help them. Out of the corner of his eye, Robin caught the queen turn her head toward them for a moment, but then her attention was back on her son. He looked over, curious. Robin called Ruby over to take their plates away. He gave Marian the money to pay for the meal, to help her become familiar with this land's currency.

He stood by the booth for a moment, trying to hear what the queen was discussing. His thieving had given him excellent hearing.

The queen was saying, "No, Henry, I don't hate him. And I don't want you to, either." Was she talking about Robin? "You shouldn't hate anyone. He's doing the right thing, and it's what he wants." She was. She was telling her son to be understanding and respectful and polite. It was strange, hearing this woman being a mother. What was she trying to pull? Robin walked over to them.

Henry noticed his approach first, eyes drifting to the approaching man. Robin could see the moment the queen became aware of him. "I've been told I owe you a debt of gratitude."

The queen sent her son away, despite his hesitation. She looked up at Robin. Her eyes were an enigma. He couldn't tell if she was trying to tell him something or hide something from him. Her eyes were so expressive, but he couldn't read them at all. He found himself wishing he could.

"I don't know what you heard," she said, "but you owe me nothing." Robin felt relieved. Finally, someone agreed with him. But Robin had promised Henry he would thank his mother. Despite the misunderstanding, Robin would never go back on his word.

"I was unable to revive my wife until you gave me that potion. So, thank you for allowing me to forget you."

Regina tore her eyes away from him and her entire body grew rigid. She spoke without raising her eyes. "The potion was made to separate us. There's really no need for you to talk to me anymore." Again, she was the only one agreeing with him.

But wait. Why was she agreeing with him? If anyone thought he should thank her for what she'd done, it should be the queen. She made the potion, after all. They had cared for each other, John had said as much. But she made the potion and now she wanted nothing to do with him.

An idea struck Robin. The potion had erased his feelings. Perhaps it had erased hers as well, and she didn't care for him now any more than he cared for her. But then she looked up at her with those deep brown eyes of hers. He felt he could see into her soul. "You have your family back. Go to them," she said, her voice shaky, "and leave me alone."

No, it wasn't possible. Her eyes, and her voice, held so much emotion. He didn't understand it. The Evil Queen could not possibly have the feelings John said she had. The Evil Queen he had heard of tore families apart, but the woman in front of him was pushing his family together. Perhaps Marian, and Emma, and John, and Snow White, and everyone else in this town was right. Perhaps the evil queen was evil no more.

Robin nodded to her, and returned to his family.

…

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Whew! This was a tough chapter to write, but I think it's my favorite so far!

Hey reviewers: which chapter is your favorite, and why? Do you have a favorite moment? Favorite POV? Favorite line?


	15. Hope (Regina)

"Put the rest of that pie into the freezer, Henry. We'll have it later tonight." Regina walked into her house, locking the door behind her. Henry nodded, dropped his backpack on the floor and ran to the kitchen. "And please put your backpack in your room!" she called after him. He had the worst habit of leaving his things scattered everywhere. But as she hung up her coat, she smiled, admitting to herself that it was nice to have his clutter around the house again.

Regina followed Henry into the kitchen, where she found him eating cereal by the handful straight from the box.

"Henry! We just had lunch." Regina shook her head.

"Hey, I'm a growing boy," he shrugged.

Regina walked behind him and grabbed a bowl and spoon out of the cupboard. "Even growing boys don't need to eat with their hands." She placed the bowl in front of him and handed him the spoon.

Henry smiled. "But it tastes so much better this way." A quick glare from Regina got Henry taking the spoon from her and pouring the cereal into the bowl. "So, what's for dinner?"

Regina laughed as Henry shrugged again. "Well, I haven't cooked for you in a while. What do you want?"

"Lasagna," Henry answered immediately.

Regina smiled. He always loved her lasagna. "Then you shall have it." She went to the fridge to see what ingredients she was missing. While making the list, she had a thought. "Henry, do you remember that horrible snowstorm when you were eight?"

Henry nodded. "Sure. We couldn't leave the house for 3 days. You wouldn't even let me build a snowman. But to make it up to me, you let me build a blanket fort in the living room and sleep in it in my sleeping bag, and we roasted marshmallows in the fireplace."

"Well, how about we do that again? Blanket fort, marshmallows, sleeping bags… What do you say?"

Henry looked at her for a minute. Oh no. Was he too old for this now? She didn't want to be an embarrassing mom, still treating him like a little kid. But then he said, "can we get ice cream, too?"

Regina tilted her head. "Marshmallows, pie _and_ ice cream? I think that might be too much, even for you." She reached out and took the sugary cereal from him as he tried to pour himself another bowl. She went to put it back in the cupboard. "But, as long as we're roasting marshmallows, I suppose I can buy chocolate and crackers to make s'mores."

When Regina turned around, Henry was grinning at her. Regina said, "but, before we can do that, I know you have that math assignment to finish."

"Aw, mom!"

"I have to go to the grocery store anyway. I expect it to be done by the time I get back."

Henry frowned, but didn't argue. He put his bowl and spoon in the sink, grabbed his backpack and headed up to his room, screaming, "don't forget the marshmallows!"

…

After 28 years of visiting the same, unchanging grocery store, Regina was an expert at quick shopping. She had gotten everything on her list and was heading for the checkout when she turned the corner and nearly bumped into Marian.

"I'm sorry," Marian said, before looking up and seeing who it was. "Oh."

Regina swallowed. "Marian. It's good to see you up and about. Are you feeling better?"

Marian was staring at her. Regina didn't flinch, didn't look away, and kept her gaze steady and open. "I am feeling very well, thank you," Marian said.

Regina waited a moment, but neither of them seemed to have anything else to say. So she nodded, and walked past Marian.

"Regina," Marian said. Regina turned around to face the other woman. "I heard what you did to help me. With the potion. I just wanted to say thank you."

Regina looked at her. Marian seemed sincere. And only a little apprehensive. "You're welcome," she said. Regina waited a moment, seeing Marian struggle, as though she wasn't sure she should say anything more.

Finally, Marian said, "I saw you with your son at lunch. It seems he and Roland are friends."

Regina wasn't sure where this was going, but Marian didn't appear hostile. "Yes, they get along quite well."

Marian was choosing her words carefully. "I think it would be nice for our boys to get together. I'm glad Roland's made new friends here." Marian looked directly into her eyes. "I don't want to keep Roland from anyone he's grown close to."

Regina looked at her, understanding everything she was saying. "How does Robin feel about that?"

Marian broke eye contact at that. "Robin has been… acting strangely since he broke the freezing curse."

Regina stood a little straighter. "How so?" she asked carefully.

"He's been wonderful with me, but he seems to have a temper. And very little patience." Regina waited for Marian to elaborate. "Earlier today, he was yelling at one of his merry men, just for being a poor archer. I've never seen him yell at his men before. He also kicked out another man, for a minor prank. He's rarely ever kicked men out of his band, and when he has it's been for something really bad." Marian stopped suddenly, as though she suddenly realized she was rambling. She sighed. "I'm sure it's fine. I just…" She looked intently at Regina. "He's been saying some severe things, and I don't think he means it."

Regina stared. Was Marian apologizing to her on Robin's behalf? Regina had no idea how to react to that. Marian wished her a good day, and walked away.

…

Regina somehow found herself back in her car. She had been distracted, going through the checkout, thinking over what Marian said about Robin's behavior. Could she have miscalculated the potion's effects? Regina had to know more about Robin's behavior. She pulled out her phone and called Little John. It wasn't hard get the details from him. It seemed John was concerned, too, and happy to share information.

When Regina hung up, she reviewed everything she knew, and was forced to admit that the potion may have had unintended consequences. She still had questions, though, and unfortunately she knew just who might be able to help answer them. So even though it was the last thing she wanted to do, she decided to make a stop on her way home.

It was David who opened the door for her. "Regina," he said.

"I need to talk to you and your wife," Regina said, walking past him into the apartment.

David muttered, "no please, come in, I insist" behind her as he closed the door.

Mary Margaret came down the stairs. "Regina! What are you doing here? I thought you had Henry tonight."

"I do," Regina said. "He's at home, doing homework. I'm on my way back to him now. Is Emma here?" Regina did not want the savior hearing this.

"No, she's out with Hook," David said. He did sounded less than thrilled.

_I bet the pirate is where Henry got those horrible table manners_, Regina thought.

"Is everything okay?" Regina marveled at how Mary Margaret could manage to look concerned about everyone all the time.

Regina said, "I need to ask you some questions about the memory potion I made."

Mary Margaret's face fell. "It's Robin, isn't it? Has he been behaving differently?"

Regina wasn't there to give information, she was there to gather it. "David, can you remember exactly what changed about Snow after she took the potion?"

"Everything," David said. "She was completely different than the woman I fell in love with."

Regina glared at him. "Okay that's very _sweet_, but not at all helpful. I need specifics. What did she say or do that seemed out of character?"

David crossed his arms and thought. Regina noticed his face looked strained - obviously this was not a common pastime for the prince. "Well obviously, she wanted to kill you. It wasn't like her because she always believed you had good in you, since you saved her life. She believed that despite all you had done, you still deserved another chance. But it was like that belief was gone. She had lost her hope."

Regina looked at Mary Margaret. "Do you remember feeling differently when you were under the potion?"

"Of course," Mary Margaret said. "I remember looking around at my life as if I was seeing it for the first time. And there were things I didn't like. Living in the woods, for instance, while you lived in my father's castle. It was as though I remembered believing you could be forgiven, but I didn't believe it anymore."

"And when the curse was broken?"

"It was like I got my faith back. I had hope again."

"Hope," Regina repeated. "That's what you lost when you took the potion."

Mary Margaret looked at her. "You said that was the part of me that fell in love with David. That's why I took the potion to begin with. I was in so much pain, holding on to the hope that we could be together, even while knowing it would never happen."

Regina nodded. Robin hadn't chosen to take the potion, but he still had reasons to do so. Loving Regina had been painful for him - not because he had hope, but because it meant going against his code, his honor. _That makes sense_, Regina thought. If he was yelling at men and kicking them out for things like lying and lacking basic skills, it must be because he was clinging to his code.

"What makes sense?" David asks. Oops. Had she said that out loud?

"Never mind. I have to get back to Henry." Regina started walking toward the door.

Mary Margaret stepped in front of her. "Regina, wait. Tell me what's going on. Maybe I can help."

"Really?" Regina crossed her arms. "How exactly do you plan on helping?"

Mary Margaret looked at David, then back to Regina. "Well, if you plan on breaking the curse -"

Regina interrupted her. "I don't. It can't be done. Robin is fine, it's just an adjustment period, that's all."

David said, "of course it can be done. I did it."

Regina turned to him. "Yes, you did. Why don't you tell me about it? I would love to hear exactly how you got the merciless Snow White to fall in love with you all over again."

David answered as though he hadn't detected that her voice was dripping with sarcasm. "I just refused to give her up. I fought for her. Even though she didn't love me, I still loved her."

Mary Margaret smiled at him. "You gave me my hope back."

Regina thought she might be sick. These two were so nauseating. "Okay, well thanks for the lovely bedtime story. I've got groceries in my car, so I have to be going."

Regina walked out, ignoring Mary Margaret's voice, imploring her to "let me help" and "talk about this".

...

When Regina got home, she brought the groceries straight into the kitchen, where she found Henry chopping vegetables. Henry looked up. "Hi mom. I finished my homework, so I thought I'd give you a hand in here. Where were you?"

Regina smiled. "Since when do you cook?"

Henry shrugged. "Emma would let me help whenever she cooked in New York. Not that we would cook that often. We had a lot of take-out."

Regina started putting things away. "Well, I'm glad to have an extra pair of hands."

"So what took you so long?" Henry asked.

Regina wasn't sure how much to say. "Oh, I just had to make another stop on the way home."

Henry's head shot up and he stared at her with wide eyes. He couldn't possibly know… could he? "Did… did you get ice cream?"

"Henry, no! Enough dessert. Let's get working on that lasagna."

Henry had gotten quite good in the kitchen. Regina had often let him be her "little helper" when he was younger, but that mostly involved stirring and handing her things. Now, he could actually do tasks more independently. The lasagna was soon in the oven, and Regina set a timer before she started wiping down the kitchen.

"Mom?" Henry asked. He was sitting on a bar stool and looking at her. She put the towel down and met his gaze. "Don't think I don't notice when you dodge my questions. Where did you stop on the way home?"

Regina walked over and sat on a stool next to him. "I wasn't dodging the question. I was just… figuring out how to answer it."

"How about truthfully?" Henry suggested.

Regina sighed. He was relentless. "I stopped by to talk to your grandparents."

Henry looked confused. "Why? You hate them."

Regina's mouth dropped. "I do not hate them." Henry gave her an I'm-not-buying-it look. "I don't. I haven't tried to kill them in ages."

Henry laughed at that, and said, "okay, but you still don't usually spend time with them by choice. So, what was it?"

"I needed to ask them for some information," Regina admitted. "About the memory potion Snow White took. I had some questions about what effects it had on her."

"Effects?" Henry asked. "I thought it made you forget whoever you love."

"Well, there's more to it than that. Remember your storybook? Snow White's personality changed after she took the potion."

Henry looked concern. "Did something happen with Robin Hood?" Regina nodded. "He didn't try to kill anyone, did he? That's what Snow White did. Is the memory potion also a killing potion?"

Regina looked at him. Sometimes he was so much like Emma. "That's not how the potion works. It affects everyone a little differently."

Henry thought that over. "Then why ask my grandparents about how the potion affected Snow White?"

"The effects of potion depend on the feelings of the person who took it. I wanted to know more about what Snow was thinking and feeling before and after she took the potion."

"Okay, so what did you find out?" Henry asked.

Regina considered that. She was still trying to figure out exactly what she had figured out. "In order to take away a person's love, it has to erase the part of that person that fell in love."

Henry hesitated before speaking. He seemed to realize they were stepping into conversation topics Regina would rather avoid. "So what part of Snow White was erased?"

Regina felt relieved. Good, a safe question. "Her hope. Maybe the potion only works when a person's love causes conflict. Snow White was conflicted because she loved David, but couldn't be with him. Her hope was making her cling to that love. The potion had to erase her hope so that it she could forget him."

Henry nodded. "Okay. And what about Robin?"

Regina looked away. She would tell him, but she wouldn't let him see how much it hurt her to talk about it. "Well, I think Robin's conflict was clear."

"But what did the potion have to erase in Robin that made him love you?"

Regina winced. "I don't think it was about what made him love me. I think it was about what made him want to be with Marian. He was trying to be honorable, and live by his code. His feelings for me were pulling him away from his code. The potion removed the pull. So I guess now, he's sticking to his honor."

The oven timer went off and Regina went to the stove. But Henry wasn't done with his questions. "So what did Robin do that had you worried?"

Regina pulled the lasagna out of the oven and set it on the stove to cool off. "It's nothing serious. He's just been a bit hard on his merry men." Regina turned around to find Henry looking at her suspiciously. Regina looked into his eyes as she said, "I promise, that's it." It was true, after all. There was no need to worry Henry as long as the only way Robin had changed was by becoming a bit more strict. But when he was back with Emma, she would look into it more.

Just in case.

…


	16. Mission (Henry)

Henry sat on the living room floor, in the middle of the biggest blanket fort he had ever made. He was technically too old for this, he knew, but it made his mom happy to relive their better moments from when he was younger. Plus, blanket forts never stop being awesome. Especially when you can roast marshmallows inside one.

Regina had conjured a ball of magic, like a floating fireplace, that warmed the entire fort. They were using it to roast the marshmallows and make s'mores. Henry still thought it would be better with ice cream, but he figured he shouldn't push his luck.

Henry watched Regina pull two marshmallows out of the bag. He knew she was trying, for him, but he could tell she was sad. He had never seen her happier than when she was with Robin, and after Marian came back, Regina was sad all the time. Henry knew their time together made her happy, but there was still a lingering sadness in the background.

While she was at the grocery store, Henry had made a decision. Regina had been forced to give up her happy ending to be a hero. It wasn't right. Acting like a hero should give her a happy ending, not take it away. So Henry would help her get it back. He would figure out how to break the memory curse.

Henry needed a plan. Nobody believed the curse could be broken, but they were wrong. Every curse can be broken. Henry knew he had to gather information. He had gotten what he could from Emma and the Charmings. From Regina, he tried to gather information as gently as possible. Easing in one question at a time, giving her time to figure out answers so she didn't shut him out completely. He thought over what he knew about the potion.

First, it wiped memories. That part was obvious. Robin had forgotten falling in love with Regina.

Second, it erases the part of you that fell in love. That was harder. Because even with everything Emma and his grandparents said, and nobody seemed to know what part of Robin was erased. If Regina knew, she wasn't saying. It was painful for her to talk about Robin's love for her; Henry didn't think he'd get any more information from her on that subject.

So he'd have to go on a mission, alone this time. If he couldn't find out what made Robin fall in love with his mom, he would have to figure it out by investigating what had changed. He was hearing stories about Robin Hood acting strangely. New Robin hated Regina, apparently, but didn't seem to have a problem with Henry. Probably because of Henry's other mom. But he could use that to get closer to Robin, and try to figure out what was different.

Henry looked at Regina. She wouldn't have a problem with him hanging out at the merry men's camp. She said Robin hadn't done anything wrong. So Henry wouldn't lie or hide things from her… if she asked.

Regina was looking at him, her head tilted. "You're being so quiet. What are you thinking about?"

Henry said, "ice cream. Next time, we definitely need ice cream."

…

The next morning, after breakfast (he convinced Regina to let him have pie. He really had to take advantage of her leniency, which he knew wouldn't last) Henry headed to the merry men's camp.

Little John was the first to spot him. "Henry my boy, what brings you out here?"

"Archery practice," Henry said. "Robin said he would teach me how to use a bow and arrow. I hope the offer's still on the table?"

John pressed his lips together. "Well, Robin hasn't said anything, but I'll go find him and ask."

Henry nodded and John walked away. Robin's memory loss was the perfect cover-up. He would have no idea of what he had or had not promised. Henry was pretty proud of how good he was this undercover stuff. _I should be a spy_, Henry thought. _That's even better than having a superpower_.

While he was waiting, Henry looked around the camp. It was smaller than he remembered from the few times he had been there. He thought there were more men.

"Henry," Robin said, walking toward him. "I didn't realize we had an archery lesson scheduled."

"We didn't," Henry said. "Not scheduled, anyway. I just thought I'd stop by and see if you have some free time. I always wanted to learn how to shoot. Might as well learn from the best." Henry smiled. Flattery and politeness worked so well on adults.

Robin dropped his head for a moment. "Of course, Henry. Follow me."

Robin lead Henry over to one end of a small clearing. At the far end a target was set up. Robin slung a quiver of arrows onto his back, then picked up two different-sized bows and handed the smaller one to Henry. He pulled an arrow out of his quiver and said, "Now watch me carefully."

Henry paid close attention as Robin nocked an arrow into his bow, and drew back slowly. He released the bow, and the arrow went flying, landing perfectly into the center of the target. Robin lowered his bow and turned to smile at Henry. "Your turn."

Henry was not what you would call a natural. But he listened to Robin's instructions and guidance. On his sixth try, Henry managed to hit the target. Henry couldn't help but shout with excitement.

Robin smiled. "There you go! Well done, Henry."

Henry smiled back. Now was as good a time as any. "Thanks. I really appreciate you doing this for me. I wasn't sure you'd still want to do it, since you and my mom aren't together anymore."

Robin's smile disappeared. "Well, I'm a man of my word. I said I would teach you, so I'm teaching you." Robin walked toward the target to retrieve the arrows.

Henry followed. "Well I appreciate it anyway. You and I haven't spent much time together since you took that potion."

Robin's steps faltered. "You know about the potion?"

"Of course," Henry shrugged, picking up arrows from the ground as Robin pulled a few more (mostly his) out of the target. "How has it been, with the potion? Do you feel any different?"

Henry followed Robin back across the field. Robin shrugged. "I don't think so. Of course it's strange to think there's a part of my life I don't know about. And it's a bit unsettling when people talk about things I've done that I can't remember, like when you showed up for archery lessons." Henry ducked his head. "But mostly, I find other people are being strange."

Henry looked questioningly at him. This was new. "Strange how?"

Robin shrugged, handing Henry another arrow. Henry tried to follow his training while keeping his attention on Robin. "Some of my men have been exhibiting troublesome behavior. I've made it clear they couldn't act like that in my camp. Certain people are reacting strangely to the punishments I've given."

Henry let loose an arrow and reached for another. "What kind of troublesome behavior? And what was the punishment?"

"Lying, stealing, laziness. General traits that no merry men should have. So I told them they were no longer welcome among my camp."

Henry lowered his arms to look at Robin. "You kicked them out? No second chance?"

Robin looked at him. "Why does everyone keep saying that?" Robin walked over to correct Henry's stance. "The worth of a man is measured by his actions. You can tell what kind of person someone is by the things they do. I'm not sure when this 'second chance' idea became so popular, but a person needs to take responsibility for their actions."

Henry let another arrow go and turned to face Robin. "You believe that a person's past defines who they are?"

"Of course," Robin said. "I know who I am because of what I have done. The same goes for anyone. Take Snow White, for instance. She fought for her people and defended them against enemy rulers. Those actions define her. Emma, the savior, rescued the town and of course brought Marian back. She's a hero because of her actions. A villain is equally defined by their actions. When one has done as much harm as the Evil Queen, for instance…" Robin trailed of as he seemed to remember to whom he was speaking. "I apologize. I did not mean to speak that way about your mother."

Henry was furious, but did his best to hide it. This was an information-gathering conversation, and hostility would not help with that goal. He reminded himself that his mother loved this traitorous outlaw, and it was only the curse speaking. "I understand," Henry said. "I know she did a lot of bad things in the past. But don't you believe that people can change?"

Robin squirmed, and avoided looking directly at Henry. "Not really. I'm sorry Henry, I don't want to say these things to you, but I won't lie. Whatever the queen may be doing now, she can't erase her past."

"But she can move past it," Henry argued. "What is she supposed to do? Just keep being a villain? That would be worse. There has to be a way to look forward. Her story isn't over yet."

Robin dropped his head for a moment, then looked Henry in the eyes. "I think that's enough archery practice for today, Henry."

Reluctantly, Henry nodded and handed his bow back to Robin. As they walked back toward the camp, Henry said, "you know you forgave her before, right? You cared about her when you knew her. Why are you so sure you have her figured out now, when you don't know her at all?"

Robin seemed to really think about that one. Finally, he shook his head. "Henry, I can't speak to things I can't recall. But I am an outlaw with a moral code, and she is -" Robin threw Henry a quick glance, "was an evil queen. I don't know what ever brought us together."

When they got back to the camp, Henry thanked Robin again and starting walking back toward Storybrooke. He thought over what Robin had said, especially that last part. Even putting Robin's code and Regina's evil past aside, he supposed their relationship was still unusual. _You may not know what brought you together, but it's there_, Henry thought. He smiled as he realized Robin had just given him the perfect name for his mission: Operation Outlaw Queen.

…

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Too cheesy? I couldn't help it.

I'm sorry for the delay in updating! This is my first story, the first thing I've written since high school. So as much as I'm enjoying it, I'm not used to it. Most of the time, I feel like I'm not writing the story, it's writing itself, and I can only update as quickly as it comes to me. I've always known how this was going to end, but not how I would get there. But with this chapter I feel like I'm finally getting over the hump. So updates should be coming more frequently!


	17. Unforgiving (Regina)

She missed him.

As much as every interaction with Robin pained Regina, she still missed him. She missed talking to him. She missed the way he would look at her. And she missed that damn forest smell.

Henry had left after breakfast, with a vague explanation of doing teenage things, promising to return for lunch. So she decided to go for a walk in the forest.

Regina had spent enough time there while they were together to know where Robin might be, and more importantly, where he wouldn't be. She chose a path through the woods far from Robin's camp, in an area she knew he didn't frequent. As she walked, she thought about Henry. She was so proud of her son. And now that she was being good, he could be proud of her, too. Years ago, when he first started to pull away from her (around the time he got that storybook), she had reacted badly. They had been through so much since then. But they had both changed. Regina knew she could never go back to being the person she was. It didn't matter how some might see her - the Evil Queen was gone for good.

Regina slowed her pace as she heard movement up ahead. And talking. She approached slowly, and soon saw several of Robin's men wandering between a small collection of tents. This was strange - had they relocated?

"Hello, Regina. It's nice to see you. It's been a while since you've come to visit us in the forest." Regina clenched her fists as she turned to see who had spotted her. It was Alan, one of the men she had spoken to often when she and Robin were together.

"Alan, I didn't realize the merry men had moved the camp," she said, changing the subject.

Alan smiled, but he seemed bitter. "Oh, this isn't the merry men's camp. We're not merry men anymore. Isn't that right, boys?" Alan said, walking into the center of the circle of tents. There was a chorus of "ayes" and Regina followed him as he threw some more firewood into the campfire.

She frowned. "What all of you?" They nodded. This was strange. She heard one man was kicked out, but there were at least half a dozen there. All this happened since yesterday? Regina turned toward Alan. "Why did he kick _you_ out?" she asked.

Alan had that bitter smile on his face again. "Apparently, taking more than your share of Friar Tuck's stew is an unforgivable offense! I am not to be trusted and no longer welcome among the ranks of the _merry men_."

Regina tried to hide the panic in her eyes. Robin was getting worse, and quickly. She needed to get out of there. Luckily, another man called Alan away and she was able to leave the mini-camp without being noticed.

…

Regina entered her vault, where the setup to make the memory potion was still laid out. There was some of the final product left, and she poured it into an extra vial before poofing the mess away. She then grabbed the book where she had found the instructions for the potion and picked out some other books with descriptions of the uses of everything that went into the potion. Then there was one more book she needed. She poofed herself back home.

Several hours later, she was sitting at the dining room table with books spread around her. She had a piece of paper on which she had scribbled notes on every ingredient that had gone into the potion. Perhaps the ratios were off. Or maybe it was that it was mixed with whiskey, although there didn't seem to be any indication of that being a problem. Maybe Robin hadn't drunk the entire potion, and that was why he was acting strangely.

She didn't notice Henry until he sat down next to her. "Mom? Are you alright?"

Regina jumped. "Henry, when did you get here?"

He looked concerned. "Just now. I called to you, but you didn't answer. Is everything okay?" He looked at the books spread around her, before reaching out to grab the last one she had gathered.

"Uh, yes. Everything's fine, I was just…"

"Looking into the effects of the memory potion?" Henry asked, looking up from the storybook in his lap. It was open to the page describing Snow White's actions under that exact potion.

Regina's shoulders dropped. "Yes. I think there may be a reason to be concerned with Robin's behavior. He's not acting like himself."

"Tell me about it," Henry mumbled.

Regina looked at him and tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

Henry's eyes widened. "Uh… tell me about it. Tell me what you heard. What changed?"

Regina narrowed her eyes at him, but let it slide (for now). "Robin has now kicked at least six merry men out of his camp, for doing very small things wrong. It seems like he's become unforgiving of everyone's small mistakes." Henry nodded, and she waited for him to say what was on his mind.

Henry said, "Okay, but do you think it might about more than just forgiveness?"

Henry didn't give her enough credit. She knew when he was hiding things. "Henry…" she said, in her most threatening-mom tone. "What aren't you telling me?"

Henry looked guilty. "I… may have gone to see Robin today."

Regina was shocked. "What? Why would you do that? What did you say to him?"

Henry began to speak quickly. "I know there's more to the memory curse than just forgetting you. You wouldn't tell me what, maybe you don't even know, but there is something. So I decided to look into it myself! Please don't be mad. I didn't tell him I was there for you. I pretended he promised me archery lessons. He'll never know I lied. I just wanted to feel him out about the potion, and… some other things." Henry trailed off with the last few words. He didn't think his mom was ready yet to hear what Robin thought about her, and what Henry planned to do about it.

Regina looked at him, considering what he had said. "Was this another undercover mission, part of Operation Mongoose?"

Henry gave her a small smile. "Kind of, but I'm thinking of it as its own mission. I was going to do it on my own, but I wouldn't turn down help." Regina smiled back at him, which encouraged him to ask, "what have you found?"

Regina sighed, looking back at the books spread out in front of her. "Nothing, unfortunately. I can't find any indication that I messed up the potion." Regina lifted the small vial with the remaining potion off the table and stared at it.

Henry noticed, and asked, "is that it?" Regina nodded. Henry's voice grew hesitant. "Is it for… are you going to take it, too?"

Regina whipped her head around. "Henry, no!" Henry looked relieved. "No, of course not. I could never take it, I… I know how it would affect me, and it wouldn't be good." She had thought about it, of course. But as much as being without Robin hurt, she didn't want to forget him. Plus, she knew that a big part of her that fell in love with him was the part that wanted to be good. She wouldn't get rid of that part of herself, no matter the cost.

Regina didn't want to discuss all that with Henry - it seemed too personal. She decided to shift the topic of conversation instead. "The only person who will be affected by this potion is Robin. That's what we need to focus on. Do we need to pick a new name for this mission?"

Henry smiled. He seemed to be quickly reassured. It was nice being trusted again. "I already thought of one," he said proudly. "Operation Outlaw Queen."

Regina thought that over. It took her a minute to realize that Henry had given her and Robin a 'couple name' like celebrities in this world so often got. She thought the idea of couple names was stupid, but she had to admit she liked the idea of her and Robin being established enough as a pair to have one. She smiled at Henry. "Okay. And the goal of this operation is to figure out what went wrong with the potion?"

Henry shook his head. "I don't think anything was wrong with the potion."

Regina gave him a confused look. "There must be. Otherwise why would he be acting this way?"

Now Henry sighed. "Really, mom? You know how this potion works! It erased the part of Robin that fell in love with you." Regina broke eye contact again, looking back down to the potion she held in her lap. "You said it yourself. Robin has become unforgiving. That's why he still sees you as the Evil Queen." Regina shuddered, and Henry reached out and placed his hand on her arm. Regina patted his hand before standing up and walking around the table. "You're not anymore, mom. I know that. And Robin knows it too, somewhere deep inside. He just can't forgive anymore. He lost the part of him that believes in second chances."

Regina turned to look at Henry. "What did you say?"

Henry repeated, "second chances. He told me about the men he kicked out, and I asked him why he didn't give them a second chance. He seemed to think that was a ridiculous idea." Regina felt her legs grow weak and she lowered herself onto a chair on the opposite side of the table. "He said a person's past defines them, and that your character is defined by your actions. He said he doesn't think that people can change."

Regina clasped her hands in her lap so Henry wouldn't notice them shaking. Her mind was racing. Everything she had learned, everything Robin had done was starting to make sense. She had so many questions racing in her mind.

"Mom? Mooooom?" Regina snapped out of her daze and looked up. Henry had his hands on the storybook on the table and was leaning forward in his chair staring at her. "Mom, what is it? Did you figure something out?"

After a moment, Regina nodded. "I think you're right, Henry. The potion wasn't working improperly. But it's done some damage I didn't foresee."

Regina tried to keep her voice steady, but the concern in Henry's eyes told her that she hadn't quite succeeded. "Okay. But we can fix it, right?"

Regina shook her head slowly. She wasn't thinking 'how can I fix this?' Her mind was still stuck on 'what have I done?'

…

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I am so sorry! OUAT's gone on hiatus, and apparently I did, too. This is the longest I've gone without updating, and hopefully it won't happen again. I'm going to really push myself to try to get chapters out more frequently. Please don't give up, and keep reading!


	18. Change (Marian)

Marian watched Friar Tuck walk off with Roland in tow. She had asked the Friar to keep her son occupied while she had spoke with Little John. She needed answers.

"John," she said, walking up to him. "I was hoping we could talk. Are you busy at the moment?"

John turned to her from where he had been staring out into the woods and smiled. "I am never too busy for you, Marian." He walked over to the campfire and gestured for her to sit next to him.

Once they were both seated, Marian didn't waste any time. "It's about Robin," she said. She saw John's eyebrows furrow. "He's been different than I remember him. You told me that he changed after he thought I died. I just want to know if this is normal."

Marian looked imploringly at him, unsure which answer she was hoping for. After a moment, John shook his head. "I wish I could, Marian, but it's not. This is not the Robin I know. He's been angry and violent and impatient. Over a third of our men are now living in a separate camp because Robin has deemed their misbehavior unfit for men in his band. He berated a young man in front of the group, something he's never done before." John paused so he could turn and look directly at Marian. "He was always a champion of second chances, of forgiveness. He believed that after a person had done bad things, they could decide to live a better life. but now…" John trailed off as he turned back to face the fire.

Marian nodded. That sounded more like the Robin she remembered. This Robin was not the man she fell in love with. She asked, "do you have any idea why Robin is acting this way?"

John shook his head. "I'm not sure. But perhaps we can figure it out." John and Marian agreed to see if they could gather any more information, and John walked off in the direction of the non-merry men's camp.

Marian sat by the fire, thinking hard. She was trying to make sense of Robin's behavior since she awoke from the freezing curse. His behavior towards his men had been strange - unrelenting. She tried to think what had made Robin suddenly treat his men differently.

But then her mind drifted back to the incident just two nights ago. Robin had gotten into a very violent fight with a man who he had previously claimed to have forgiven. Marian had never seen Robin react like that, not even when he first found out that Will had betrayed them all. How could he be angrier now, years later, than he had been at the time? It wasn't just merry men that Robin did not forgive - it was others, as well.

Marian began to wonder if perhaps his new unforgiving nature was not concentrated only on the merry men. Of course - Regina. When Marian first arrived in Storybrooke, Robin insisted Regina had changed and deserved forgiveness. But since breaking the freezing curse, he had completely changed his mind. She had thought it was merely a result of his memories of the queen being erased, but he could not have fallen in love with Regina with the attitude he had now. This was new.

When Marian first learned of her husband's relationship with the Evil Queen, to say she was shocked would be an understatement. It seemed completely unlike him. Robin - her Robin - would never have feelings for someone who had done such horrible things. Marian would have expected _her _Robin to treat the queen… well, kind of like he had in the last few days. Marian had expected Robin to be angry, unforgiving and unrelenting toward the queen. She had believed that reaction would be in line with the man she knew. But she had seen Robin being unforgiving, and it was completely wrong. The more time she spent with this new Robin, the more she realized, his forgiveness of the queen made perfect sense. _Your past ends now_. That was what he told each new merry man when they joined. So he applied that to the queen as well.

Marian thought about what she knew of Regina - from personal experience, not stories. She had raised her son, alone, and the boy was turning out quite well. She had gained the trust and respect of many people in this town, including Robin and Emma, both of whom Marian trusted immensely. And to top it all of, Regina had saved Marian's life, twice. Both times, it would have been incredibly easy and beneficial to herself to simply let Marian die.

Marian shook her head. No, Regina was not a monster. She had done awful things in her past, but she had earned the forgiveness of all the people Marian had met, everyone in the town, really. Regina had not done anything remotely evil since Marian had come to the future. Marian had always subscribed to Robin's philosophy that anyone who wants to can change. Regina had changed. It hurt to admit it, but Robin's relationship with the _former_ Evil Queen was suddenly making a lot of sense.

But Robin had forgotten all that. To him, Regina was still the person she had been all those years ago. Marian got up to throw another log on the fire as she wondered if _anyone _had been spared Robin's harsh opinions. Roland was still perfect in his eyes, of course. And his behavior had been faultless when it came to her.

As Marian sat down again, she thought a bit harder about her interactions with Robin. He had indeed been perfect. He had said and done all the right things, he had been patient with her, teaching her the ways of this land. She had once, briefly, brought up his relationship with Regina. He had assured her that he would always remain faithful and as his wife, she had his complete commitment.

Marian's mind raced. Commitment, faithfulness, concern. This was what he had shown her since she awoke. No, that couldn't be right. He loved her. His love had saved her from the curse. And he had shown her affection since she awoke, she knew he had. But the more she thought about it, she realized every instance of affection between them happened when Roland was around. He could have been showing his love for Roland each one of those times.

Marian began to panic. Was it possible Robin no longer loved her? She had to find him.

…

Marian waited for Robin to return from the archery range. She had found out he was there giving a lesson, and figured she would let him finish while she tried to gather her thoughts. She focused on her breathing and mentally listed her concerns. There was no reason to overreact. It was entirely possible she was reading too much into this, and a conversation with Robin would erase all her doubts.

Finally, she spotted him enter the camp looking distracted and mildly upset. "Robin," she said, walking up to him. Robin gave her a tight smile. "Would you like to join me for a walk through the woods? We haven't had much time to talk, just the two of us, since I awoke from the freezing curse."

Robin agreed and his smile relaxed a little. They headed into the woods side by side.

They walked for a few minutes in silence, Marian trying to choose her next words carefully and Robin merely enjoying the silence of the forest.

"Robin, I've been gone a very long time. I mean, not from my perspective, but I understand you believed me to be dead for 30 years." Marian looked expectantly at him.

Robin merely looked confused. "Yes," he said, "but you knew that."

"Yes," Marian said, and continued walking. "I was just wondering what it was like, for you. I mean, you thought I was dead. You must have moved on."

Robin put a hand on her shoulder, stopping them both and turning to face her. "Marian, is this about the queen? Whatever relationship I allegedly had with her is irrelevant - it's not part of the present. It isn't even a part of my past." He held both her hands in his and smiled gently. "You have nothing to worry about. _You_ are my wife, and I would not be with anyone else."

Marian was staring at him, listening intently to every word. "I understand, Robin. But she _was_ a part of your past." Robin tried to interrupt, but she continued. "It's alright, I understand that it's over. It's just…" Marian kept walking and Robin followed alongside her. "You did start to see her, and you had feelings with her. We know that happened. If you were starting a new relationship, you must have moved past me. You couldn't have fallen in love with someone new if you were still in love with me."

Robin said, "I'm not in love with her, though, Marian. She means nothing to me."

Marian shook her head, continuing to look forward. "It's not about your feelings for her, Robin. It's about your feelings for me. You weren't in love with me anymore - after 30 years that's understandable." Now, Marian turned to look at Robin. "What I want to know is, how could you have fallen back in love with me so quickly?"

Robin seemed disturbed. "Marian, I have always loved you. You are my wife. There is no other for me." He smiled at her. "I pledged to love you until death do us part." His smile faltered. "And it did. But then, it didn't." Marian wasn't sure either of them really knew what he was saying. But Robin shook his head and continued. "Marian, I broke the freezing curse on you. That proves I love you. You have nothing to worry about."

Marian did not feel convinced, but was not sure what more she could ask of him. She decided to let it go for now and changed the subject. "I heard you were giving an archery lesson. Who were you teaching?"

Robin hesitated briefly before saying, "Henry. Apparently I promised him some lessons during one of my erased memories."

Marian sent him a sideways glance. "I hope you were nice to him, Robin. You agreed not to say rude things about Regina in front of him." Robin squirmed, and that was all the answer she needed. "Robin!"

"It wasn't my fault," Robin insisted. "He brought up the subject. He was asking about the men I've kicked out of the camp. I was as generous as I was could be, but what was I supposed to say? I told him that a person's character is determined by their actions. What a person has done tells you what kind of person they are"

"But Robin, what about forgiveness? People can change. You know they can."

Robin scoffed. "People can't change who they are. They can only hide it for a while."

Marian was furious, but she tried to control the anger in her voice. "Robin, a person is more than the worst thing they have ever done. You are not exactly perfect. You were a petty thief when I met you. If you can change, anyone can."

Robin stopped in his tracks to stare at her. "Marian, you can't be serious. Pretty soon you'll be saying that even the Evil Queen deserves a second chance."

Marian glared at him. "Her _name _is Regina." Marian's hard eyes met Robin's as they stared at each other, both furious at the other.

Marian wanted to walk away, but she had to know. "Robin, I don't want to talk about her. I want to talk about us. I still love you. But everything has been different since I got to this land. Maybe it's too much to expect you to still love me as you did years ago."

"Marian, what are you saying?"

What was she saying? He had changed. He was no longer the man she loved. And he obviously didn't love her as he once had. People do change, obviously. And at least one of them had changed too much to pretend otherwise.

Marian's eyes filled with tears. "I don't know what's happening, Robin, but you've changed. I don't even feel like we're married anymore." Robin reached for her arm, but she pulled it roughly away. "This is not working. Our marriage was over a long time ago. It died when you believed I did."

Robin was shaking his head, disbelief and anger in his eyes. "Marian, we made vows. I intend to stand by them."

Marian's tears spilled down her cheek. Robin did not move a muscle. "A marriage cannot be held together only by vows, Robin. Marriage is supposed to be about love! I don't want you to be with me out of obligation."

Robin's eyes darted back and forth as he scrambled for words. Marian looked at him, hoping to find some indication that he still loved her. He didn't seem sad to be losing her, or affected by how upset she was. It only confirmed what she believed: he hadn't loved her in a long time.

Marian turned and tearfully walked away. Robin remained silent as he watched her go.

...

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><p><strong>AN:** I hope this chapter didn't feel too rushed, but it's been a looooong time coming. I never thought this thing would end up being so long. I guess I just had a lot of story to tell. Anyway, I'm so excited for what's coming next!


	19. Picnic (Robin)

Robin stared at the trees long after Marian was out of sight. Finally, he turned and walked in the opposite direction. He felt furious.

How could she do this? She was his wife, and he her husband. Neither of them could walk away from that. He had made vows and even after losing her, he had never let go.

Well, he had, apparently. Though he had no memories of it, he knew he started a relationship with another woman. But he had left her as soon as Marian came back, John had said so. And since Marian awoke from the freeing curse, he had been by her side. He had been loyal to her.

Marian had questioned him. Although she hadn't questioned his loyalty, she had questioned his love. It was absurd. Of course he loved her; that was why he married her. And yes, it had been many years since he thought he had lost her, but he was still married to her now. And he had broken the freezing curse, so that proved his love.

Although…

He could admit, at least to himself, that he felt differently. He couldn't describe how, exactly. His marriage to Marian, as he remembered it from years ago, brought him happiness. He remembered wanting to be with her whenever they were apart and feeling lucky to be married to her. He remembered feeling that this marriage was the best thing he had ever done, and a choice he would make over and over again.

Since Marian awoke from the sleeping curse, he hadn't felt that way. He had stayed with Marian, of course, because it was the right thing to do. He was her husband. He would continue to choose her, because he had vowed to do so. But he couldn't imagine what he would choose if he was in a position to marry her again. He had told her many times that he loved her. But still, it was strange. He knew, rather than felt, that he loved her.

Before Robin could dwell on those thoughts any longer, he heard a voice all out his name. When he turned toward the voice, Little John was walking up to him.

"Robin," John said again, "I'm glad I found you. We need to talk."

Robin would have preferred to continue walking, but his friend seemed out of breath. John took a seat on a nearby rock and Robin went to lean against a tree facing him.

"Robin, I've just been to the other camp." Robin tilted his head questioningly. "You've kicked out enough men that they've started their own group."

Robin nodded in understanding. "Well, it's good they found a place for themselves. Now perhaps everyone can stop suggesting I take them back."

John shook his head and sighed. "Robin, please don't consider the matter resolved. The men are not happy with what is happening."

"Well then perhaps they should have behaved better," Robin said, unaffected.

John said, "I don't just mean the men you kicked out. The remaining men are also bothered. They think you've overreacted and can't be sure which one of them is next. Not to mention, they are rather disturbed by your aggression towards those who underperformed in archery practice. I understand you yelled at several more men in the afternoon sessions."

Robin pushed himself off the tree and stepped toward John. "Are these men questioning my leadership? Are you?" John narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. Robin turned away from him. "I have to say, John, this is not something I can deal with right now. I have other problems."

"What other problems?" John asked.

Robin sighed. "Marian… no longer wishes to be married to me."

There was a long pause before John said, "and how do you feel about that?"

Robin whipped around and took another step toward John. "How do I feel? My wife wants to abandon our marriage! You aren't the least surprised by that?"

Despite Robin's anger, John remained calm. "You know that's actually quite common in this land." Robin felt shocked, and took an involuntary step back. "It's called divorce, and it can be done by signing some papers. Apparently, people here believe that there should be a way to end a marriage besides death," Little John shrugged.

Robin felt dizzy, and he went back to lean against the tree, facing John but not looking at him. "But… I don't understand. A marriage is a pledge to be with someone forever."

"A marriage is a pledge to be with someone you love," John said. "If you and Marian no longer love one another, what kind of marriage is that?"

Robin felt numb. Did Marian not love him anymore? Did he still love her? "And what about Roland? If we are both alive and not married, what happens to him?"

John shrugged, and stood to walk over to his friend. "Well, I'm not sure, but Emma and Regina are both parents to Henry. They are not married, but they manage to work things out. I imagine you and Marian could arrange something similar that would work for Roland."

Robin took a deep breath. "I lost Marian years ago. I thought I got her back." Robin finally looked into his friends eyes. "Apparently I didn't." Robin felt lost, but the sight of calm and compassion in his best friend's face gave him the reassurance he needed.

John said, "Robin, I'm sorry things didn't work out with Marian. I imagine the end of a marriage is difficult no matter how it comes about."

Robin thought back to what Marian had said. "John, I think my marriage ended long ago." John stayed silent, which Robin took to mean he agreed.

"I have to tell Roland," Robin said, pushing himself off the tree and walking toward camp.

John followed him. "What will you say?"

"I don't know," Robin said. He stopped abruptly. "I have no idea. How can a child make sense of this if I barely can?"

John put a hand on Robin's shoulder. "Robin, it's almost lunchtime. Why don't you take Roland somewhere, alone, to talk it over?" Robin nodded, but still felt lost. John continued, "You go to Granny's and order some food. I'll go to the camp to get Roland and meet you there. It will give you a few minutes to think over what you want to say."

Robin nodded again. He had to decide exactly what he would say before he saw Roland. Robin thanked John and they parted ways.

…

When Robin entered Granny's, he spotted Emma by the counter. He still hadn't figured out the best way to explain to Roland what was happening between him and Marian. As John had said, Emma knew something about sharing a child with a parent who was not a spouse. Robin walked up to her.

"Good afternoon, Emma."

Emma turned towards him. "Robin, hi."

Robin sat down on the stool next to her. "I was hoping I could pick your brain about something." Emma nodded, but he still hesitated before continuing. "I understand your son Henry only stays with you part of the time, as part of some sort of arrangement?"

Emma narrowed her eyes at him. "I sincerely hope you're not here to tell me why Henry shouldn't be around Regina. Because whatever else you think about her, you can't deny she loves Henry. She is a good mother."

Robin shook his head. "Actually, I wanted your advice." Emma's eyebrows shot up. Robin turned to face ahead and spoke slowly, choosing each word carefully. "My marriage is ending. Marian no longer wishes to be with me. I understand she and I can get a _divorce_, and I am trying to understand how that would affect Roland."

After several moments, Emma spoke. "First, I'm sorry to hear about your marriage. I won't ask about the personal details, but I trust the two of you will make whatever decision is best for your situation. As for Roland, it's really up to you and Marian. You can try to get full custody of Roland and Marian would only take care of him occasionally. Or you can have shared custody, like Regina and I do. It would mean Roland would move back and forth between wherever Marian is living and your… camp." Emma paused. "Although you might want to reconsider living in the woods. It's not something people really do in this world."

Robin looked at her, ignoring the judgement in her last statement and focusing on the 'custody' issue. "Do you think it would be harmful for Roland, moving back and forth like that?"

Emma's eyes softened at his words. "I don't know Roland, but kids are resilient. I really believe what's best for him would be whatever is best for his parents. You and Marian love him very much. As long as you put him first, and continue to communicate with each other, he will be fine."

Robin nodded, feeling a little but less burdened. "I have one more question. I still need to tell Roland about the divorce. Any suggestions on how to explain to a five-year-old that his parents will not be together anymore?"

Emma smiled self-consciously. "I wish I could help, but I really don't think I could offer any advice. Just be honest with him."

Robin nodded. "I was going to pick up some lunch and take him on a picnic. I figured a one-on-one chat might be best."

Emma nodded, but before she could respond, the sound of bells came from her jacket. She pulled out a small device similar to the one John had been carrying around. Emma looked at the device, apologized to Robin, touched it, and put it near her face. "Hey kid, what's up?"

These devices were strange, but Robin understood from John that they were used for communication. You could use the device to speak with another person who had one, even if they were across the room, or across town, or even in another part of the world. John couldn't explain how it worked, only saying "it's called _technology_. It's like magic, but it's for everybody."

Robin waited as Emma spoke. It was strange hearing only one side of the conversation, but he could hear mumbles coming from the device indicating that she was getting a response. Meanwhile, Granny came over and took Robin's order.

"Hang on, Henry," Emma said and put a hand on Robin's arm. She faced Robin and said, "a picnic sounds perfect. Do you know where you'll be taking him?"

Robin replied, "actually, no. Is there a nice spot you can recommend?"

Emma closed her eyes, looking frustrated for a moment, before saying, "the lake in the woods. It's a beautiful spot. I'm actually about to head out there. I can show you where it is."

Emma was acting strangely, but a picnic by the lake did sound nice. He nodded and thanked her.

By the time John arrived at the diner with Roland, Granny had their picnic lunch all wrapped in a basket and ready to go. She had even included a red and white checkered blanket for them to sit on. When Roland found out they weren't staying he was disappointed for a minute, but the promise of a special outdoor lunch and one-on-one time with his papa cheered him right back up. Robin took the boy's hand and followed Emma toward the lake.

…

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><p><strong>AN:** Again, too long between postings! That's why I wrote a longer chapter this time. The delay is partly due to my difficulty in structuring what's coming next, but it also means that I have the next 2-3 chapters already mapped out. So I can happily tell you they should only take a day or two each to get posted. Yay!

As always, please please review!


	20. Plan (Regina, Henry)

**A/N: The bolded and italicized words are quotes from the show and do not belong to me!**

...

* * *

><p><em><strong>Regina: What do you see in me?<strong>_

_**Robin: Hopefully the same thing you see in me… a second chance.**_

_Of course_, Regina thought. Robin fell in love with her because he believed in second chances. How could she have forgotten that? When she made the potion, she had been focused on the parts of Robin that would remain. She reassured herself with the knowledge that his code, his morality, would remain intact after forgetting her. That was the part of him that was fighting against his love for her, so she was sure he would be safe.

How could she have forgotten why he loved her? No, not forgotten. She had just suppressed those thoughts; she didn't really think about what he would be losing. Because he did love her. She knew he loved her, she didn't doubt that. She should have given more thought to what made him love her. But she hadn't thought much about it.

Even before Marian's return, it was hard to understand how Robin could fall in love with her. She could hardly believe that such a good man would care for her. Once Marian came back, he seemed to have even fewer reasons to want to be with her. And of course he chose to be with Marian, so Regina was convinced that there was very little attaching Robin to her.

But he did love her. And now, faced with all the changes in Robin's behavior over the last few days, Regina was forced to admit that a real part of Robin, even a good part of him, had loved her. And now that part was gone.

Regina reviewed Robin's behavior in her mind. The first out-of-character behavior she had heard of was when he fought with that man Will Scarlett. At the time, she thought nothing of it. She understood holding a grudge against someone who betrayed you. She didn't know exactly what Will had done, since Robin had never mentioned Will to her. Now that she thought about it, that was a clear indication that he hadn't been bothered enough by the man's behavior to hold such a grudge all this time. How could he be more angry now than he had been so many years ago, when the betrayal had actually happened? That fight should have been her first clue that something was wrong.

Then there was the issue of him kicking out the merry men, for increasingly benign reasons. Any minor misbehavior would result in the most severe punishment. Robin had often spoken proudly of his merry men. He once told Regina that his men came from all manner of backgrounds, but they each got a second chance with him. Regina couldn't believe she hadn't thought about that. The very thing that held his merry men together was lost. She had taken it from him.

And finally, there was Robin's behavior toward her. He called her the Evil Queen. He knew he would see her that way, but it was worse than when they had first met in the Enchanted Forest, or when they had first met in Storybrooke. Both times, he talked to her. He looked at her as a person. Now, he only saw a monster. He had lost his ability to see her as more than the awful things she had done in her past.

Regina felt lucky that only her hands were shaking - she felt completely out of control. She suddenly remembered Henry was in the room with her. She focused on controlling her breathing and tried to listen to what Henry was saying as he looked through the storybook.

"... complicated, but any curse can be broken. It says so in the storybook. I can ask Grandpa how he broke the memory curse after Grandma tried to - "

Regina cut him off, "Henry." He looked up at her. "I think you were right, about second chances. Robin told me once that his men each got a second chance when they joined the merry men. If he's kicking them out, he obviously doesn't believe in them anymore. We need to fix that."

Henry's face lit up. "So you're going to try to break the curse?!"

Regina shook her head. "No, Henry. I'm telling you, it won't work. We need to try something different."

Henry frowned. He looked unconvinced, but he dropped it. "Okay, then what do you suggest we do?"

Regina shrugged. "How do you get someone to believe something they don't think should be possible?"

Henry grinned. "I can do it. I got Emma to believe in magic, didn't I? Getting Robin Hood to believe in second chances should be easy compared to that."

Regina looked at her son. How did he get so smart? He was right, of course. Getting someone raised in this world to believe in magic was not an easy task, especially someone as stubborn and jaded as Emma Swan. But somehow, Henry had managed it. Regina looked down at her hands. They had stopped shaking. She felt relieved that they finally had a plan.

Regina nodded. "Okay, so how do we go about this? What's the next step in operation Outlaw Queen?"

Henry's grin was back. "Well, I had to show Emma the biggest examples of magic and True Love to get her to believe the storybook was real. If we want Robin to believe in second chances, we have to show him the biggest and best example of second chances." Henry looked at her expectantly, but she just waited for him to continue. His grin faded as he looked at her, exasperated. "You, mom. I meant you. You know what? Never mind, I got this."

Regina was a touched, but more confused. What did he have planned?

Henry took out his phone and stood up. "Actually, I'm supposed to have lunch with Emma. Is it alright if I go meet her and catch up with you later?"

Regina sighed. It was so hard sharing her son, but she knew it was best for him to have both his moms in his life. She nodded and Henry walked into the kitchen, dialing Emma's number on his phone.

…

Henry looked over his shoulder to make sure his mom was out of earshot before he let the call go through.

"Hey kid, what's up?"

"Hi, mom," Henry said. "I'm just at home with Regina. Are we still on for lunch?"

"Yeah sure, I'm at Granny's now. You wanna meet me here?" Her voice grew wary as she added, "maybe the three of us can have lunch together.

Excellent, things were falling into place. First, get Regina into town. But before Henry could try to set his devious plan into motion, he heard a familiar voice - a male voice, with a British accent that definitely did not belong to the dirty pirate. Henry could hear him quite distinctly - ordering food for one adult and one child. Henry smiled. _Perfect_. "Um, is that Robin next to you?"

"Yes, but don't worry, he's not staying. He's just picking up some things to go."

Henry frowned. That was no good. How was Robin supposed to fall in love with Regina if they never saw each other? He knew it could be done. Regina might not believe it, but any curse could be broken. For her sake, Henry would pretend he was just trying to get Robin to believe in second chances. But if Robin saw how much she had changed, he would definitely fall back in love with her. And then the curse would break when they kissed. Ew.

Henry shook his head and focused. "To go? Where?"

Emma paused for a moment before saying, "why? Are you up to something Henry? Because I'm pretty sure your mother would not appreciate your interference in her personal life."

Shoot. She was onto him. Whatever, he didn't bother denying it. "Mom, I know what I'm doing."

"Oh, yeah?" Emma said. "Does she know what you're planning?"

"Of course," Henry lied. Well, it was only partly a lie, because Regina did know he was working on their Operation, and this was a necessary step. She would be on board, he was sure. Just as soon as she was face to face with Robin. "Look, just ask him where he's going."

Emma sighed. "Hang on, Henry." Henry waited and listened as she spoke to Robin. Robin asked for a suggestion. _Could this be more perfect?!_ It was like the whole world was on board with Operation Outlaw Queen.

"Mom! The lake! Tell him to go to the lake. Actually, tell him you'll take him there, and Regina and I will meet you there before lunch." Henry smiled, practically jumping out of his skin with excitement. He should seriously be a spy.

Emma repeated his suggestion to Robin, who agreed. "YES!" Henry couldn't stop himself from yelling.

Regina walked into the kitchen just then. "Henry, what's going on?"

Uh-oh. "Um, okay mom, I'll see you soon." Henry hung up quickly and smiled at Regina. "I'm meeting Emma by the lake. Walk me there?" Regina nodded and smiled. Henry smiled back, feeling the tiniest twinge of guilt at lying. But it was for her own good. She would thank him later.

…

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** So? Two chapters in two days. Not bad, huh?

I love the idea of devious Henry. In season one he was so sneaky and actually doing things. I miss that. So I made him more active.

To Fand09m and everyone else who asked for more Regina/Robin interaction: your wish is my command.

To lulu1613: Prepare to be blown away ;)

Spoilers: Next chapter will be much longer, from Robin's POV and it's called "Lake"


	21. Lake (Robin)

Somewhere along the way, Roland had found a stick. The stick's resemblance to a sword was so uncanny he had been using it to fight invisible foes since they entered the forest. Roland ran ahead of Emma and Robin, shouting brave words at unseen trolls and dragons while the adults talked behind him.

Emma had been mostly silent since she hung up the phone with Henry. She seemed to have things on her mind that she did not wish to share with Robin, so he waited for her to break the silence.

Eventually, she did. "I understand if you don't want to talk about what happened between you and Marian, but if you do, I'm willing to listen."

Robin said, "there's not much to tell. She thinks I don't love her, and that I was only with her out of obligation."

Emma took a moment to respond. "Was she wrong?" Robin turned his head sharply to glare at her. "Sorry, I don't mean to be rude." She may not have meant it, but it _was _rude. "It's just that you were pretty torn when Marian came back. You wanted to stand by your marriage vows, but your heart seemed to be pulling you elsewhere. That's not to say you didn't love Marian, just that… well, it did kind of look like you chose her because you wanted to do the right thing."

Robin said nothing for a long time. So Marian had her reasons for making those accusations. If she and Emma both thought he was only with her because of his obligations, could they be right? Everyone, even John, said he was in love with another. He tried to remember those feelings, but the memories eluded him. He tried to remember loving Marian, but those feelings eluded him as well. Robin sighed. He supposed if Emma was to be believed, then his marriage really was over.

"It's alright. I believe you meant no harm. You've already saved Marian twice from evil witches. I can't imagine you'd try to separate us now." Robin looked at Emma to give her a small smile and found her frowning in confusion.

"Twice? When did I…"

Robin said, "first when you brought her here from the past," Emma nodded, "and then when you returned her heart."

Emma's eyes widened and she nodded again. "Right, of course." She looked away and walked a little faster.

Emma was acting suspiciously. She was hiding something, and not well. Robin decided he had to find out what.

Robin increased his speed to match hers and asked, "did you forget about returning my wife's heart? Is that something you do so often it's not memorable to you?"

Emma continued walking quickly and looking ahead. "No, of course not. Marian's heart is the only one I've ever removed, and returned." Robin stopped walking. "I just didn't consider that saving her. Because you saved her. I was just a supporting player." Emma finally noticed that Robin wasn't behind her. She turned and her eyes fell on where he had stopped.

"What did you say?" Robin asked in a quiet voice.

Emma froze. "Uh… that you saved Marian?"

"Before that."

Emma thought for a moment. "That Marian's heart was the only one I ever removed?"

Robin stared at her with cold eyes. "You told me you did not know how to remove hearts."

Emma said, "I did? Are you sure? I don't think that's what I said."

Robin began taking slow steps toward her. "That's exactly what you said. I asked if you knew how to remove hearts, and you said you only knew how to return them. Such knowledge is not of the sort that one typically forgets." By now, Robin was only a foot away from Emma. She looked worried, and a bit frightened. "You are a terrible liar, Miss Swan. Why are you lying? What aren't you telling me?"

Emma's shoulders sagged. Robin waited for her explanation. "I promised Regina I wouldn't say anything."

By now, Robin had stopped reacting to everyone referring to the queen by her first name, but her involvement in this event was a mystery. He continued staring at Emma until she finally gave in. "I wasn't the one who returned Marian's heart. It was Regina. She magically disguised herself to look like me."

Robin shook his head. "Why would she do that?"

Emma turned and continued walking, with Robin keeping pace by her side. "She didn't think you or Marian would be very receptive to her just then, but she wanted to make sure Marian's heart got returned. So she found a way to do it without anyone knowing about it."

Robin thought that over. "She knew she wouldn't be welcome so she deceived everyone? What was she up to?"

Emma sighed. "Why do you keep assuming the worst of her?"

"Well," Robin said, "she is the evil queen."

"No," Emma said. "She used to be. She's not anymore."

Robin did not want to have this argument again. "Well then why would she care so much about Marian's heart?"

Emma scoffed and looked sideways at him. "You're kidding, right?" Robin looked seriously at her. "Wow, you're not kidding." Emma grabbed Robin's arm and turned him to face her. "She did it for you. The potion, Marian's heart, all of it. You… you know you two were together right? She really cared about you." Robin was overwhelmed at how earnest she looked. He turned away and kept walking. "Robin!" Emma called, and hurried after him.

Robin's head was spinning. Thoughts of the queen being so in love with him… He couldn't process it. "I know the queen and I were involved. I've been told. It's just rather disturbing." Robin waited for Emma to catch up to him before he continued. He took a moment to call out to Roland not to wander too far before turning his attention back to Emma. "You're not the first person to tell me about things I don't recall. It's very unsettling to have a portion I my life that I can't remember. At least when we first got to this world, everybody had forgotten the missing year, not just me. Now I'm learning about my own life from others. I hear stories of a woman who apparently loved me, whom I can't remember. And now the woman who does love me doesn't think I love her anymore!"

"Well… do you?" Emma asked. There was that rudeness again.

"She is my wife."

"That's not exactly a yes." What was wrong with this woman's manners? Was she raised by wolves?

"I would not have married Marian if I didn't love her," he said.

"But that was a long time ago." Emma persisted. "Do you still love her now?"

Robin sighed. She was rude and stubborn, but she was not wrong. "I don't know," he admitted.

Emma was silent for a moment - a short moment. "That really seems like something you should know."

Robin let out a laugh. "I know." For a few minutes they walked in silence, until Robin said, "but I must love her. I broke the freezing curse. The curse could only be broken by True Love's Kiss."

"An Act of True Love," Emma said.

"Pardon?"

Emma looked over at Robin. "Elsa never said True Love's Kiss, she said an Act of True Love would break the curse. She told me the story of how her sister broke the curse by sacrificing herself to save Elsa."

Robin frowned. "So you don't think my kiss broke the spell?"

Emma smiled. "I don't know. I wasn't there, remember?"

"Right. It was the Evil Queen."

Emma's smiled disappeared. "You have to stop calling her that."

Robin ignored her. "You all talk about her as though she's a hero."

"She _is_ a hero," Emma insisted.

"Why? Because she's chosen the side you all want her to be on? Do you know how many people she's killed?"

Emma said, "Do you know how many people she's saved? This entire town, your wife, your _son_…"

Robin interrupted, "wait, when did she save Roland?"

"In the Enchanted Forest, during the missing year," Emma said. "One of the Wicked Witch's flying monkeys was coming after Roland. Regina got between them and saved him."

Robin frowned again. Emma hadn't been in the Enchanted Forest, so she must have heard the story elsewhere. He made a mental note to ask around. If the queen really had saved Roland, he wanted to know about it.

Robin called out to Roland, who had stopped walking only a few feet ahead. Roland looked back and shouted, "Papa, look!"

Roland was pointing to the lake, and promptly took off in its direction. Emma was right, it was quite a lovely setting. Roland ran excitedly toward the ducks on the lake, although they took off long before he could get too close to them. Robin followed Roland and set the picnic basket down under a tree. Emma was still standing nearby with her hands in her pockets.

Robin smiled awkwardly at her. She knew he wanted alone time with Roland. She seriously needed to learn some manners. "Well, thank you for accompanying us here."

Emma seemed to remember herself. "Right! I'm actually supposed to meet Henry here, so…" she trailed off and Robin raised his eyebrows at her. "I guess I'll go wait at that bench." Emma took her hands out of her pockets to point to a bench around the side of the lake, a fair distance away. Robin nodded to her, and she walked away.

Robin spread the blanket on the ground and called Roland over. The boy came running, chattering away about the ducks he saw. Robin didn't want to talk to Roland about food or ducks while such a heavy subject was looming in his thoughts, so he decided to get right to it.

"Roland, come sit with me." Roland obediently came to sit in Robin's lap and began playing with his papa's hands. "Roland, you know that your mama and I are married, right?" Roland nodded. "Well, grown-ups get married because they love each other. And sometimes those grown-ups have children. Like your mama and I had you." Roland was listening, but he just kept playing with Robin's hands. Robin continued. "Well, sometimes, married people stay married for a long time. But sometimes the stop being married."

"Like you and mama," Roland said.

Robin was startled. How could he know? But Robin's panic quickly subsided as he realized Roland was talking about the time they spent thinking Marian was dead. "That's right, Roland. And now mama is back, but we decided not to be married anymore."

"Why?" Roland asked, still not looking up.

Robin couldn't be sure if the question was an indication of distress. Roland had recently entered a phase of asking 'why?' about everything. But Robin would answer his question as honestly as possible. "Because, Roland, marriage is for people who love each other. Your mama and I don't love each other anymore. But you still love her, right Roland?" He refused to let his marital issues separate Roland from either of his parents. Roland nodded, turning one of Robin's hands over. "She still loves you, too. And do you know who I still love, more than anyone?"

"Who?" Roland asked innocently. Robin waited. Roland grew impatient, finally looked up from his lap, and yelled, "Regina!"

_What?_ Robin's eyes grew wide. Where did that come from? But Roland was out of his lap and running around the lake toward where Emma was… standing with Henry and the queen. _Oh_.

Robin slowly got up and walked over to the group. He saw Roland run up to them, his arms waving. As he approached, the queen bent forward and swept him up. Roland gave her a big hug, which she returned with a huge smile on her face. He then pulled back and started chattering away, though Robin was too far to hear what was being said. Robin noticed her listening eagerly.

It was quite the sight. They were completely at ease with each other. Robin supposed he should be apprehensive at seeing the (formerly) evil queen with his son, but it seemed completely natural to him. As he got closer, though, she looked at him and her smile dropped. She lowered Roland to the ground, but he grabbed hold of her hand.

Robin smiled at them. "Good afternoon, Henry. Your majesty." He was still wary of the queen, but unlike Emma, he knew how to be courteous.

"Hello, Robin," she said. "I didn't realize you would be here." She wasn't looking at him. Her eyes darted between Emma and Henry. "I just came to drop off Henry with Emma."

Emma spoke up. "Henry was with Regina last night, but tonight he's with me."

Henry nodded. It seemed like this shared parenting thing actually could work.

Roland apparently had enough of a conversation that did not revolve around him. "Regina, my monkey is gone!"

_What?_ Robin thought.

She looked down at him. "Your stuffed monkey?"

"Yes, the one you gave me. It's gone away and I miss it and I'm sad." Robin stared. He knew that toy. Roland loved that toy, refused to go to bed without it. The toy he loved so much was from the queen?

She crouched down to face him. "Roland that monkey used to be a bad monkey, because it was under the witch's spell."

Roland nodded. "It tried to hurt me, and I was scared. But you saved me."

Now Robin was listening carefully. This was what Emma had just told him about. A monkey had tried to hurt Roland, and the queen saved him. Not only that, but she turned the monkey into a toy for Roland. She saved him, and then comforted him afterward.

She continued, "I think when the witch went away, the monkey was free of the spell, so he got to go home. But I will get you a new toy, one that doesn't have a spell on it, so you can keep it for as long as you like. How does that sound?" She smiled at him.

Roland smiled back and lifted his arms toward her, indicating he wanted to be lifted up. Her smile faltered, and she looked at Robin, questioningly. She was looking for permission from him. Of course, he had exhibited nothing but hostility toward her. But he could not deny she was good not only with her son, but with his as well. He nodded.

Regina wrapped her arms around Roland and stood up, holding him.

Emma said, "well, kid, how about we go get some lunch?" She put one hand on Henry's shoulder.

Henry, who had been quiet this whole time, was staring at Robin. But when Emma spoke, he turned to her and nodded. "Yeah, let's get out of here." He turned and walked back the way he had come, with Emma beside him.

Now, Robin was left with Regina and his son. He wasn't sure what to say next. He just kept staring at the woman before him. Roland's head lay on her shoulder and he was playing with her hair with one hand. He seemed more comfortable with this woman than he had been with Marian. Robin supposed they must spent some time together while she was seeing him. For the first time, Robin could see it. He could see himself having feelings for this woman, who stood before him holding his son. Who had saved his son and assuaged his fears. Who had rescued Marian, twice. He still didn't know her. But of course, that made all the difference. Whoever this woman in front of him was, she was not the Evil Queen.

After a few minutes of standing in silence, Regina ran her hands through Roland's hair and said, "well, I should probably go." She bent over and put Roland down.

Robin hesitated, then nodded. He looked down and said, "Roland, why don't you go get the food out of the basket and I'll come join you."

"Okay, bye Regina!" Roland yelled as he ran back to the blanket.

Regina smiled after him. Looking back at Robin, her smile grew tight. "Goodbye Robin." She turned and started to walk away.

Robin said, "goodbye, Regina."

…

**A/N:** Wow, I am on a role! I seriously didn't think I would finish this, but I pushed myself. Sorry the Regina/Robin part was so short, but the chapter was getting looooong!

To the two reviewers who didn't like Henry calling Emma mom: I get what you're saying, but he calls her that in the show. I think it's legit only since the missing year, when she actually was his mom. But yeah, him calling Regina 'Regina' did feel weird, but it was getting unclear in the way I wrote it so I gave up on trying to restructure the conversation to avoid it. But I absolutely agree that Regina is and always will be Henry's mom.

To my reviewers: I apparently cannot refuse a request from a reviewer. That's why I am posting 3 chapters in 3 days, and why I will be writing Regina's POV to this as well.


	22. Looking (Regina)

Regina stood in the foyer, wearing her coat and holding Henry's, tapping her foot on the floor.

"Henry!" she called. "What's taking so long?"

"Sorry, mom!" he called back, bounding down the stairs with his shoes untied and staring at the phone in his hands.

"Henry, your shoelaces. Be careful. And watch where you're going." She held up his coat for him. Without lifting his eyes from his phone, he put his left arm through his coat sleeve, then passed the phone to his left hand to finish putting his coat on. Regina raised an eyebrow at him. "Henry? Put that away please."

"Just a minute, mom, I have to finish texting Emma," Henry said urgently.

Regina pulled his coat closed. "Henry, we're on our way to see her now. Can't it wait?" But Henry wasn't listening to her. His attention was still wrapped up in his phone. Regina shook her head. "Henry. I understand that you want to stay close to Emma, but you're about to spend the rest of the day and night with her. Can I at least have you here with me while we walk to meet her? If you remember, it was your idea for me to accompany you."

Henry looked ashamed and slipped his phone into his pocket. "Sorry, mom. I wasn't trying to ignore you. It's about Operation Outlaw Queen!"

Regina straightened. "You… told Emma about it?"

Henry zipped up his jacket and wrapped his scarf around his neck. "No, but I did ask for her help. You don't mind, do you? She's happy to do it." Henry smiled at her as she frowned at him. She didn't mind extra help with their mission. Emma's guilt was really working in Regina's favor, as much as Regina hated needing her. But she still had a feeling Henry wasn't telling the entire truth.

Regina handed Henry his hat and gloves and looked suspiciously at him as he put them on. "What exactly did you ask her to do?" she asked.

Henry led the way outside and waited until they were walking side by side toward the lake to continue speaking. Regina watched him carefully. She had learned after Operation Cobra how to tell when he was preparing to lie to her. Now she could tell he was preparing to explain his plan.

"Operation Outlaw Queen," Henry started. He kept walking for a bit before saying, "We need to get Robin Hood to believe in second chances. Like I said, if he's going to do that, he needs to see that second chances can really happen. So he has to see you."

"Henry, you know Robin's not my biggest fan right now." Her voice grew quieter. "Seeing me would not be likely to put him in a forgiving mood."

"Mom, you're wrong. I'm telling you, he needs to see you, so he can get to know you, so he can see how you've changed. It's the best way to get him to believe in second chances." Henry put his hand on her arm and turned to look at her. "Trust me, mom. This will work."

Regina narrowed her eyes at him. "And Emma agrees? That's what you were texting her about?"

Henry looked away guiltily. "Well, no."

"Henry…" Regina warned.

"When I called her, she just bumped into Robin at Granny's. So I asked her to talk you up to him." Before Regina could protest, he rushed to keep talking. "She was happy to do it, mom. She's on your side! We both think that you should be with Robin."

Regina was fuming. She walked a little faster as they reached the beginning of the trail through the forest. She was trying not to yell at Henry, despite how furious she was with him! What was he doing talking to Emma about her love life? And especially about things she already told him were both none of his business and never going to happen. "Henry, we've talked about this. He drank the memory potion. It's over. Besides, he's married. He's with Marian. You shouldn't be talking to Emma about this, and you shouldn't be…"

Henry cut her off. "Well, what if he wasn't?"

Regina looked at him. "What are you talking about?"

"What if he wasn't married?" Henry urged. "What if he wasn't with Marian anymore, what if she was out of the picture?"

Regina closed her eyes. She couldn't think like that. She and Robin had been great. They weren't perfect, but they were closer than she thought possible. The only problem they had was Marian coming back. She was alive, and he was married to her. Regina couldn't think about Marian not being in the picture anymore. It was too painful. And she had already thought about getting rid of Marian - it was wrong, and she was not going to do it.

Regina looked at her son and said, "Henry, there's no point in exploring what-ifs. He _is_ married. End of discussion."

Henry wasn't dropping it. "But people get divorced."

Regina dropped her head. "He wouldn't do that," she whispered.

"He _is _doing that."

Her head shot up, and she looked at Henry with wide eyes. "What?"

"That's what Emma texted me. Marian wants a divorce. Robin's marriage is over. There's nothing in your way now. Well, except the potion, but that's what I…"

Henry kept talking, but Regina couldn't hear a word he was saying. He was getting a divorce. Not only that, but Marian wanted it. Regina never brought up the idea to Robin because she didn't want to ask him to leave his wife for her. If she was being honest with herself, she didn't want to hear him say that he wouldn't. He was too honorable, he would feel it was wrong.

Regina's ears were ringing. He was getting a divorce. He was no longer with Marian. Soon, he would not be married. Marian, his marriage, it was the only thing that was ever in their way.

Regina tried to focus on what Henry was saying. Right, the potion. There was still the matter of that. If what Emma said was true, then there was no reason she couldn't be with Robin, if that was what they both wanted. There was no question that being with Robin was what Regina wanted, but the potion meant that he did not want to be with her. He despised her. Every time he saw her, he looked at her with those cold, hateful eyes that broke her heart. He wasn't her Robin anymore. Now, he was a stranger who hated her.

But she had to fix him. So she concentrated on Henry, who was still jabbering away.

"Henry," she said. "What did you say to Emma in your texts?"

"I told her to find out what she could from Robin," Henry said. "She had to stop texting me because she left the diner to walk to the lake." His cheeks were red, probably from the cold. She continued walking toward the lake and waited for Henry to elaborate. She knew silence could be very effective at getting Henry to tell her things he was reluctant to say. "And I told her to talk you up to Robin."

Regina hid her smile from Henry. He was sweet to think that Emma would, or even could, talk her up. But Emma had been fighting Regina since they met, and probably had more bad things to say about her than anyone, which was saying something. But it just made it that much more clear to her that Henry really believed she was good now.

They walked for several minutes in silence, with Henry looking at her occasionally to gauge her mood. Regina sensed that he wanted to ask her something, but was waiting. So she let him choose his moment.

They were almost at the lake when he finally said, "Mom?" Regina turned her head towards him. "You know, for Operation Outlaw Queen to work, you'll have to talk to Robin." Regina looked forward again and didn't respond. Henry continued, "I know that Robin… has issues with you right now, but you have to fight for him. After Snow White took the potion, grandpa had to fight for her. She knocked him unconscious and tied him to a tree, and he still jumped in front of an arrow for her." Regina scoffed. she couldn't stand the Charmings and their sickening love story. Henry seemed to sense that and changed tactics. "You have to give Robin a chance, mom. He wanted to be with you. He _would_ be with you now if he could. The memory potion is just making it impossible for him. If it was up to him, he would fight for you. But he can't, so _you_ have to do the fighting."

Regina was listening to everything Henry was saying, and she couldn't help but feel guilty. She still hadn't told anyone that she slipped Robin the potion, and she never would. She wondered what Henry would think if he knew. Because everything Henry was saying was right. She had made Robin's choice for him when she put the potion in his drink. So now, if she actually could be with him, how could she expect him to choose her again? He had chosen her once, before she had erased that choice. She began to wonder if there might be a future for them after all.

Regina tried to sort out her thoughts as she caught a glimpse of Emma sitting at the bench by the lake. If Henry was right, Regina would have to fight to win Robin over. She still wasn't sure if it was possible. Henry believed it was, but believing was what he did best.

Regina looked over at him. "Okay Henry. I'll try. I'll talk to him."

Henry beamed. "Good," he said as they came into the clearing. "Then you should start right away."

Emma stood to greet them as they reached her. The two woman said cordial hellos but didn't get a chance to say anything more before a loud screech of "Regina!" ripped through the air.

Regina, startled, turned around. She knew that voice. Roland was running toward them at full speed. Behind him, Robin was sitting on a picnic blanket under a tree. _What was he doing here?_ she thought. But then she looked back and forth between Henry and Emma, both with guilty looks on their faces. They set her up. She noticed Henry's guilt was mixed with amusement, anticipation, and a fair bit of pride. That kid enjoyed being sneaky a bit too much.

Regina reigned in her mom glare as Roland launched himself at her. She picked him up in a big hug, and couldn't help smiling. She had missed Roland. He was such a sweet boy, and she had grown fond of him while she and Robin were together. She knew Roland was fond of her. And apparently he missed her, too.

"Regina, hi! Papa and I are having a picnic." Roland said.

"Yes, dear, I can see that," Regina said. Then Roland was chattering away. She just listened, absorbing the sweet boy's affection that she had been missing since Marian's return.

"Papa got the picnic from Granny's. I thought we were having lunch at Granny's but we had lunch at Granny's yesterday, so papa said today we should have a picnic. I saw you yesterday, also, but mama said you were with Henry so I shouldn't say hi. But I wanted to say hi because you were having lunch at Granny's, too." Roland paused to breathe. Regina laughed, but knew she shouldn't expect him to stop talking long enough for her to say anything. He obviously had a lot to update her on. "Did you see the ducks? There were ducks, but they flied away when I tried to catch them. I think maybe they were scared. I wasn't scared of them, because ducks aren't scary. Also, I'm brave."

Then, Robin was there. She knew he would come after his son, but she could feel his presence in the air once he was near. When she caught sight of how close he was, she lowered Roland to the ground, knowing Robin probably wouldn't want his son around her. She knew she was supposed to fight for Robin, but if he felt his son was in danger, he would not be receptive to what she had to say. As she stood back up, Roland grabbed her hand, apparently reluctant to let go of her. She glanced at Robin to ensure he was alright with that.

Robin smiled. It wasn't an open, friendly smile, but it wasn't cold either. He greeted her and Henry politely. Okay. Politeness she could work with. It was a starting point, at least.

Wait, why had he greeted only the two of them? Had he been speaking with Emma earlier? _Of course_, she thought. Henry had been texting with Emma until she left the diner to walk toward the lake. Roland said they got their picnic from Granny's before coming here. And then Henry said Regina should start her part in Operation Outlaw Queen right away.

She had been set up.

"Hello, Robin. I didn't realize you would be here. I just came to drop off Henry with Emma" She wanted to make sure he didn't think _she_ had been the one to orchestrate this meeting. And she wanted the other two to know she was onto them. They weren't as clever as they thought. She was pretty sure Henry was the mastermind here, but as the adult, Emma should have known better.

Emma decided to speak up. "Henry was with Regina last night, but tonight he's with me."

Roland tugged on her hand. "Regina, my monkey is gone!"

She looked down at him. "Your stuffed monkey?"

Roland confirmed and turned his puppydog eyes toward her. That boy was dangerous - one flash of that look would get him just about anything he wanted.

Regina was not surprised at the loss of his stuffed animal. When Zelena was defeated, her monkeys turned back into the people they were before she cursed them. It was entirely possible that Roland's toy, despite having been transformed again, had reverted to its human form once the original magic was undone. She crouched down to face him and did her best to give him a five-year-old's explanation of what had happened. At the end of it, he still had his puppydog eyes trained on her, so she promised him a new toy.

Roland was apparently satisfied with that, because he reached out to with arms that said "pick me up". She hesitated, not wanting to push too far too soon. She looked up at Robin.

And nearly fell over. He was staring intently at her. His blue eyes were trained on her, obviously having listened to her and Roland's entire conversation. She replayed it in her head. Roland had mentioned her saving him from the monkey. Of course. Robin would have forgotten that. So now he knew she had saved Roland. And that Roland liked her. And he must not have a problem with it, because he was looking at her, and his eyes were familiar again. His eyes had been so cold since he took the potion. Every time he looked at her, it was with hate in his eyes.

But now, he was just looking at her. It wasn't like it had been before the potion. It was closer to the way he did when they first met in the Enchanted Forest. They hadn't been together then. They hadn't even liked each other. In fact, they were quite hostile to one another. But he had still looked at her as though he saw her. He looked at her as though there might be something more to her than the worst of what he had heard. That was the way he was looking at her now.

She broke out of her thoughts when Robin nodded at her, and she lifted Roland up in her arms. She ran her hand up and down his back and he rested his head on her shoulder.

Emma spoke up, and Regina tore her eyes away from Robin and instead turned them toward Henry. Henry was staring at Robin, as though he was analyzing the outlaw's expression. When Emma put her hand on his shoulder, Henry smiled and said, "yeah, let's get out of here." He threw a smile at Regina, as if to say, _keep it up, it's working!_ and he left with Emma.

Regina took several deep breaths after they left, trying to work up the courage to say something else to Robin. Or at least to look at him. She didn't know what to do. She took the easy way out and just looked at Roland instead. He was warm in her arms and she couldn't help but smile at him as he played gently with her hair. Robin stood only a few feet away, not making any move to take his son away from her. Perhaps that was enough progress for today, then.

Regina ruffled Roland's hair and said, "well I should probably go." She put him down and finally looked up to face Robin.

He was still looking at her. She was momentarily discouraged when he looked away, but it was only long enough for him to send Roland off. Roland called out a goodbye to her and ran back to the blanket.

Regina watched him go, and when she looked back at Robin, he was staring at her again. Her face froze in a tight smile. She could barely breathe. There were those familiar blue eyes again. She couldn't pinpoint exactly what the change was, but it was very powerful. Suddenly, it was too much. "Goodbye, Robin," she said and started walking away.

"Goodbye, Regina."

By some miracle, she managed to keep her pace steady. Regina. He had called her Regina. He hadn't called her that since he took the potion.

She felt a spark of something warm in her heart, and couldn't help but smile

…

**A/N:** Finally, a chapter that ends with Regina happy!

Does this count as four in four? It's past midnight, but I'm going to count it. I'm rushing because the end is now in sight! I swear when I started writing this, I thought it would be maybe 5 chapters. Oops. But I'm going to be pretty busy for a few days, so I'm trying to work overtime before then. I'm hoping to have one more chapter tomorrow. I may write this scene a third time, because Henry is thinking some things and his POV might be worth exploring. But a triple POV could be too much. We shall see.

Your reviews are amazing and I love reading every word! Please keep reviewing and I'll keep posting!


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